
Class ; 



THE 

NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE: 

& CragttJg 
IN FIVE ACTS. 

BY ERNEST RAUPACH. 

• « 

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN, 
WITH 

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 






LONDON : 
PUBLISHED BY WILLIAMS AND NORGATE, 

HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 

1847. 




PREFACE. 



The following translation was undertaken above 
eight years ago, and being thrown aside when com- 
pleted, remained untouched and almost forgotten 
ill the interest excited by the casual mention of the 
Irama induced the translator to venture on presenting 
t to the public. The work itself is becoming 
extremely scarce, so much so indeed that a few- 
pages of the translation having been left incomplete, 
and the original having been mislaid, its publication 
has been delayed upwards of four months, and was 
very nearly abandoned from the extreme difficulty of 
procuring another copy. 

Sensible how faint an idea she has been able to 
cGnvey of the strange wild beauty of the original, 
the translator solicits the indulgence of her readers, 



IV PREFACE. 

to her humble and unaided efforts, content if she be 
the medium of making them in some degree acquain- 
ted with a drama, so worthy of admiration, and of 
which, to the best of her belief, there has been 
hitherto no version in the English language. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 



As the drama, of which the following pages are a 
translation, is founded on the celebrated " Niebehm- 
gen Lied/' or " Lay," some slight outline of that 
singular poem may not be unacceptable to our 
readers. It is probably the most ancient of all the 
Teutonic romances, which have been handed down 
entire, and as a picture, though of course an exagge- 
rated one, of the habits and manners of the fierce 
wild age in which it was written, it is an invaluable 
relic of bygone days —days of which, in the present 
advanced state of civilization, we can scarcely form 
the faintest idea. In these traditions, indeed, consist 
almost the only records of that iron race, who, between 
the fourth and the tenth century, overran the greater 
part of Europe with their warlike hordes, which 
have descended to us. The Niebelungen Lay is sup- 
posed to be above eight hundred years old, and its 
fierce unrelenting character sufficient!} 7 stamps its 
antiquity, bearing few traces of that more chivalrous 
spirit which sprang up in a later age ; the second 
part however is much more deficient in this spirit 
than the first — where the noble and generous cha- 



VI INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

racter of Siegfried and his devoted love to Chriem- 
hild shed a softer influence over the scene. The 
author is unknown, and many writers, Zschokke, 
and Lachmann, among others, have maintained the 
opinion that it was composed by two different per- 
sons, but into this question we will not venture to 
enter. Its language is the ancient Teutonic dialect, 
and there are but three manuscript copies preserved. 
A complete edition of the poem was published about 
the latter part of the last century, by Dr. Muller. 
Since then many others have appeared by different 
authors, and in 1843, the German public was 
presented with a new edition by Dr. Carl Simrock. 

The lay is called " Niebelungen/' but who these 
Niebelungen were, it does not very clearly inform 
us. All we are told about them is in Hagen's relation 
to Giinther of Siegfried's adventure with them, and 
that is as follows. 

f€ There was a mighty king called Niebelung, who 
had amassed vast treasures, and hoarded them in the 
caverns of a hollow rock. At his death, his sons, 
Schildung and Niebelung, quarrelled about the dis- 
tribution of the treasure, and Siegfried chancing to 
pass that way on some adventure, agreed, at their 
united request, to become arbiter betwixt them, 
and received in return their father's sword Balmung. 
Unfortunately, however, he failed in satisfying the 
contending parties. A quarrel arose, the brethren 
attacked Siegfried ; but with the sword just 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. Til 

presented to him, he slew not only the giants them- 
selves, but likewise twelve of their giants, and eight 
hundred of their men ! A tolerable number for one 
individual ! Albrich the dwarf, their vassal, would 
fain have revenged his master, but Siegfried soon 
subdued him too, and acquired possession of the 
"Tarn cap/' by means of which he obtained super- 
human strength and the power of rendering himself 
invisible whenever he pleased " 

This is all we are told about the Xiebelungen, and 
this is certainly far from satisfactory. Various and 
contradictory have been the opinions as to whom 
they really were. According to the Lay, however, 
it is tolerably clear, that they were giants served by 
captive dwarfs, and that their dwelling places were 
the caverns of dark and hollow rocks. This would 
seem to indicate beings of unearthly mould, creatures 
of night, and indeed the name appears to confirm the 
supposition, as Xiebelung is a word compounded of 
'*Nebel' 3 mist, and i( Junge" youth, signifying ce sons 
of the mist." In the drama, they are represented as 
dwarfs, groaning under the sway of the giant Hind- 
mar, who had made them his tributaries, and 
delivered from bondage by the gallant Siegfried, 
when he rescues Chriemhild from the fierce dragon, 
which is no other than one of the sons of the giant, 
who having murdered his father, and attempted to 
assassinate his brother, has been changed into a 
loathsome monster as a punishment for his crimes, 



Vlll INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

The Niebelungen Lay opens with an animated 
description of the grace and beauty of its heroine 
Chriemhild, which are expatiated on in many high 
sounding stanzas : Chriemhild has three brothers, 
Giinther king of Burgundy, Gemot and Geiseler, 
"the child," — whose gentle and amiable character 
is dwelt on with complacency in various parts of the 
Lay. Chriemhild has forsworn marriage, in conse- 
quence of a dream which her mother interprets as 
predicting an untimely and cruel death to whomsoever 
she may select as her lord ! 

But this determination is soon to change. The 
youthful Siegfried, son of Siegmund king of the 
Netherlands, a warrior renowned in arms, having 
heard tell of her w r ondrous beauty, resolves to woo 
her as his bride. Already has his conquering sw r ord 
subdued the giant Niebelungen, and won their vast 
treasure. Already had he slain a furious dragon, 
and by bathing himself in its blood, made himself 
invulnerable save in one little spot. And now, 
refusing all escort or attendance, he rides alone to 
the ancient city of Worms, to w r oo the fair sister of 
its king. He meets with a courteous welcome, for his 
renown had preceded him, and vanquishes all the 
knights of Burgundy, who venture into the lists 
against him, but the fair object of his suit he is 
not permitted to behold. At length a war breaks 
out ; Siegfried offers his services, which being ac- 
cepted, he marches with an army of one thousand men 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. IX 

against a foe who musters forty times that number, 
and speedily returns triumphant, bearing with him 
the kings of Denmark and Saxony as captives. He is 
now permitted to see Chriemhild, and even to salute 
her, but not yet to lead her home as bride. By this 
time however, though the passion which the fame of 
her beauty had kindled, even before he beheld her, 
is raised to the highest pitch by the sight of her 
surpassing loveliness, he begins for the first time to 
doubt his own merits, and to despair of ever winning 
one so unspeakably fair ! 

" In his own mind he thought — how could I ever deem, 
To win thee as mine own, 'twas but an idle dream, 
Yet rather would I die, sweet maid, than shun thee now, 
And pale became his cheek, and gloom sat on his brow." 

Chriemhild, on her part, is not insensible to the 
manly beauty and noble bearing of the youthful 
hero, and many a stolen ( glance of love,' do they 
cast on each other. Meantime, tidings arrive at 
Worms of a beauteous virgin called Brunhild, queen 
of Isenland, of her matchless strength and courage, 
and how every suitor for her hand was forced to 
abide three combats, and if vanquished condemned 
to a cruel death. Gunther, however, resolves 
to try his fortune, and despite all the arguments 
of friends and followers, to win her or perish. 
^ egfried, finding him resolute, consents at his en- 
treaty to accompany him, and aid him in the 
enterprise ; for though the king is still ignorant of 



X INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

the supernatural strength, and of the power of render- 
ing himself invisible, which, by means of his magic 
cap, the hero possesses, he is quite conscious of the 
value of his assistance. One condition, however, 
is affixed by Siegfried, that, if successful, the hand 
of Chriemhild should await him as his reward. 

To this Giinther gladly consents, and the two 
heroes hasten to the fair Chriemhild, to seek her 
aid in providing themselves with fitting apparel to 
appear before the Queen of Isenland. A strange 
mission as it would seem to us now-a-days, but in 
perfect conformity with the manners of those times, 
when noble dames and damsels with their own fair 
hands prepared the garments in which their true 
knights arrayed themselves, in hall and bower, and 
embroidered the scarfs which decked their armour in 
the battle field. 

Chriemhild willingly undertakes the pleasing task, 
and herself cuts out the snow-white silk, enriched 
with precious stones, the gorgeous velvets sown with 
pearls, and the other splendid materials (of which 
there is a long and elaborate description) w T hich 
are to adorn the persons of her beloved brother and 
the gallant Siegfried. In seven weeks all is com- 
plete. Giinther loads his sister with thanks and 
praises, and after a parting interview, in which 
Chriemhild recommends her brother to the care of 
Siegfried, who promises to bring him "back in safety," 
they embark for Isenland ! 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. XI 

In twelve days they find themselves at their de- 
stination, and Brunhild, on hearing of their arrival, 
grants an audience to Siegfried, who, unfortunately, 
to increase her sense of Gunther's power, represents 
himself as his vassal ! — a falsehood, which is the 
primary cause of all subsequent misfortunes. The 
proud Queen immediately orders the lists to he pre- 
pared, and appears clad in gorgeous armour, richly 
adorned with precious gems, and bearing a shield of 
c ruddy gold/ so heavy, that four of her chamber- 
lains with difficulty could support its weight. The 
king, when he beholds her martial array, feels cer- 
tain qualms come over him, but honour forbids him 
to recede. At this moment he feels a light touch, 
but, seeing nothing, stands amazed ; when Siegfried's 
voice whispers in his ear, to ' be of good courage, to 
attend to his movements, and imitate them.' Then 
taking the shield and spear from his hand, Siegfried, 
by aid of the magic cap, which at once rendered him 
invisible, and endowed him with more than human 
strength, surpasses the warlike maid in every feat of 
arms, till, at length, she confesses herself fairly van- 
quished, and bids her vassals do homage to Giinther, 
her supposed conqueror. While Siegfried, having 
doffed the wondrous cap, appears before her, and 
enquires 'when the games are to begin/ seeming 
not a little surprised when he hears that they are 
concluded. 

Giinther, however, not quite confiding in the ap- 



Xll INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

parently amicable sentiments of his intended bride, 
entertains some fears lest she may, in an unguarded 
hour, assault and murder him and his followers. 
Siegfried, therefore, offers to proceed forthwith to his 
own domains of ( Niebelungen, 5 and bring thence a 
thousand warriors to guard the king. With these 
he returns, and, thus protected, Gunther, (who 
informs the Queen that they are his own vassals, 
for lying goes for nothing in these heroic poems) 
prevails on her to leave Isenland, and they all hasten 
back to Worms, where they are received with the 
utmost splendour by Chriemhild, her brothers, and 
her mother. Chriemhild, in particular, welcomes 
her' future sister-in-law with the warmest assurances 
of affection and respect. 

i( The maidens fair embraced each other o'er and o'er j 

Sure such a warm reception was never seen before, 

As that with which the ladies now the royal bride did greet ; 

Dame Ulta and her daughter, how they kiss'd those lips so sweet." 

Tournaments and other martial games follow ; 
and Siegfried reminding Gunther of his promise, the 
fair Chriemhild is summoned, and her concurrence 
asked. After a little maidenly hesitation, she 
blushes a c soft consent/ The enraptured Siegfried 
once again salutes her lovely lips, and the double 
unions are celebrated amid the utmost pomp and 
rejoicing. 

Brunhild, however, who seems to have submitted 
with most commendable patience and resignation to 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. Xlll 

her own lot, is indignant at the idea of her lord's 
bestowing his sister on a vassal, as she deems 
Siegfried. Giinther tries to pacify her by assur- 
ances that Siegfried, in his own country, is a mighty 
prince ; but she still persists in her angry remon- 
strances, and Giinther dares not undeceive her as to 
Siegfried's real rank, lest the discovery of this de- 
ception should lead her to suspect others. 

Brunhild, who seems really to love her beauteous 
sister, and pity her for being condemned to such a 
misalliance, determines to punish her husband for his 
contumely. Accordingly, when they retire to rest, 
she ties him hand and foot with her girdle, and 
hangs him up to a nail in the wall ! where she 
leaves him till morning, when, at his earnest en- 
treaties, she releases him from his sad durance ! 

Next morning there is a magnificent tournament, 
but the king's brow is gloomy, and his heart is sad. 
Siegfried perceives it, and, suspecting the cause, pro- 
mises his aid in depriving the haughty princess of 
the girdle, the source of all her strength. This (of 
course invisibly) he accomplishes ; but not without 
a most desperate struggle. All might now have been 
well ; but Siegfried, in a luckless hour, presents 
Chriemhild with the girdle, and confides the whole 
tale to her ear, at the same time, however, enjoining 
the strictest secresy. 

For the present no mischief results ; and, after 
some days further rejoicing, Siegfried and his bride 



XIV INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

depart for Siegmund's court. Ten years pass by; 
at length Brunhild, whose pride is hurt by Sieg- 
fried's failing to attend her husband's court, as 
she deems him in duty bound to do, prevails on 
Gbnther to invite him and Chriemhild to a high fes- 
tival at Worms. They come magnificently attended, 
and are most warmly received, for Brunhild, hitherto, 
has betrayed no signs of dislike or jealousy towards 
Chriemhild, and gladly seconds her lord in giving 
her a most sumptuous welcome. For some days all 
is harmony and good will ; but, at length, one 
morning, as the Queens are sitting together, watching 
the martial sports in which the heroes are engaged, 
a contention arises as to the relative merits of their 
lords. The dispute grows warm, and at length 
Brunhild taunts her sister-in-law with the assertion 
that Siegfried is only Giinther' s vassal. Chriemhild 
indignantly denies the fact, and on their proceeding 
shortly afterwards to mass together, strives to take 
the precedence of the Burgundian queen. This 
Brunhild fiercely resists, declaring that 6 no vassal's 
wife shall ever take precedence of a crowned queen !' 
Chriemhild, fired at the taunt, replies by an oppro- 
brious epithet, and rushes into the cathedral, leaving 
Brunhild overwhelmed with shame and fury. 

After mass the justly enraged queen demands of 
Chriemhild a proof of her base insinuation, Chriem- 
hild, still carried away by pride and passion, produces 
the fatal girdle. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. XT 

Giinther is instantly summoned, and on learning 
the cause of his wife's grief and anguish, expresses 
the deepest indignation ; and sending for Siegfried, 
demands whether it is he who has uttered so vile a 
falsehood ? Siegfried positively denies it, and seals 
his denial with a solemn oath, which Gunther, well 
knowing his true and nohle nature, believes. 

Thus the strife appears ended. But Siegfried is 
yet to pay dearly for his foolish confidence in his 
wife's discretion. 

Brunhild, naturally enough, remains deeply wound- 
ed at the foul insult she has received, and for which 
even her own angry taunts afford no apology. Hagen 
the king's uncle, a wild, fierce warrior, promises 
her a sure and speedy revenge, and the king reluc- 
tantly consenting, a plan is arranged, by which they 
hope to effect it without danger to themselves. A 
report is spread that war has again broken out in 
Saxony, and the generous Siegfried offers his aid, 
spite of the tears and entreaties of Chriemhild, who 
entertains dark forebodings that some evil will befall 
him, if he goes. All, however, is arranged, and 
Hagen pays the queen a farewell visit, when, in her 
anxiety for her husband's safety, and her fears that 
her own burst of passion (of which she has deeply 
repented), should be visited on him, she confides to 
the treacherous Hagen the spot, where alone the 
hero is vulnerable, and implores him to guard her 
husband there ; thus a second time betraying the 



XVI INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

secrets entrusted to her ! — though from very different 
motives. Hagen promises — and Siegfried, after bid- 
ding his wife a most fond and tender farewell, departs. 
. We must not omit, however, to give an idea of the 
manners of the times, that he had previously ' ' beaten 
her black and blue" as a punishment for her conduct 
towards her sister-in-law ; but this is evidently con- 
sidered as a legitimate mode of discipline, not in the 
slightest degree detracting from the love and tender- 
ness of the husband, and in this light Chriemhild her- 
self appears to regard it. 

The war is deferred and a royal chase substituted, 
when the murder is to be accomplished. 

x\fter the hunt, a foot-race is proposed to a well at 
some distance, where the wine had been carried ex- 
pressly, under pretence of cooling it, and Siegfried, 
throwing off his armour, starts with the rest. He 
arrives first, and while he lies down to drink, Hagen 
plunges a lance between his shoulders, where alone 
he is vulnerable. The hero, though mortally wounded, 
starts up and seeks his weapons, but in vain ! and 
sinking down exhausted he expires ; with his last 
breath, recommending his wife to the mercy of her 
brothers, and protesting his own innocence. Giinther, 
ever weak and vacillating, now bitterly deplores his 
death, but Hagen glories in the deed, and to crown 
his vengeance, lays the bleeding corpse at Chriem- 
hild's chamber door ! Her horror and anguish may 
be imagined. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. XV11 

Siegfried's father, who has accompanied his ill-fated 
son to Gun trier's court, is summoned, and vows in- 
stant revenge, but is dissuaded from his rash purpose 
by his unhappy daughter-in-law, who, well knowing 
the number and valour of her brother's warriors, fears 
lest he too should perish in the vain attempt. 

After the first wild burst of grief is over, Chriem- 
hild follows her husband's funeral, surrounded by 
her friends and followers, all overwhelmed with sor- 
row, and burning with the thirst of revenge. On en- 
tering the cathedral, the mournful procession is met 
by Gunther and Hagen, the former of whom, ap- 
proaching his weeping sister, attempts to persuade 
her of his own innocence, and of his sympathy with 
her distress. Chriemhild indignantly placing herself 
beside the open coffin, bids those who know them- 
selves guiltless of her husband's blood, to approach 
and touch the corpse. Hageu advances with an air 
of haughty indifference, when lo ! the blood gushes 
forth in torrents ! and proclaims him the murderer, 
spite of Gunther' s assurances to the contrary. 

When all is over, and Chriemhild somewhat 
calmed, Siegmund earnestly entreats her to return 
with him to the Netherlands, promising her all 
love, honour, and protection ; but Chriemhild is 
prevailed on by the supplications of her mother and 
younger brother, to remain with them — a most ex- 
traordinary resolution, considering that her only 
child was left at Siegmund's court, and that she thus 



XVlll INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

abandoned what would naturally have proved her 
greatest consolation, the" care and education of her 
son. All this her father-in-law represents to her in 
the most urgent manner, but she remains immoveable; 
and, at length, with many tears, Siegmund bids her 
farewell, and departs for his own country, after re- 
commending her to the kindness of her brothers, 
Gemot and Geiseler, who are guiltless of all par- 
ticipation in Siegfried's murder. Time passes on ; 
Chriemhild, though treated with all due distinction 
and kindness, remains inconsolable, refusing for 
above four years, even to see her brother Giinther : at 
length, however, she is persuaded to admit him to 
her presence, and a reconciliation takes place between 
them, amid many tears ; but to Hagen she positively 
denies forgiveness. She is now induced to send for 
her husband's treasure, the Niebelungenhort, with 
which he had presented her as a wedding gift. This, 
however, is only the source of fresh troubles, as, 
when Hagen perceives how lavishly she bestows her 
wealth, winning all hearts by her generosity, he in- 
duces the king to deprive her of it, and buries it deep 
in the Rhine, swearing never to reveal the place of 
its concealment. This new outrage puts the finish- 
ing stroke to Chriemhild' s resentment, and she im- 
patiently awaits an opportunity of revenge. At 
length, it comes. After thirteen years, Ezel, king of the 
Huns, seeks the hand of the still lovely widow. At 
first she positively refuses to listen to his suit ; but 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. XIX 

at length, yielding, partly to the persuasions of her 
brother Geiseler, who had proved a true and de- 
voted friend to her ever since Siegfried's death, and 
who hoped that in this new union she might forget 
past sorrows, and partly to Rudiger's promise that 
all her injuries should now be avenged, she at length 
yields an unwilling consent, and the marriage is cele- 
brated with all due splendour. 

Seven years pass by in peace and comparative 
happiness. But Chriemhild, though her husband is 
all she could desire — though she is now the mother 
of a blooming boy to replace the child whom she is 
never to behold again — still in her inmost heart 
cherishes a deep and lasting regret for the husband of 
her youth, and an undying thirst for vengeance on 
his murderers. At length she determines on inviting 
Giinther, Brunhild, and the flower of their nobility 
to a grand festival, in the hope of finding an oppor- 
tunity of reeking upon them the retribution so long 
delayed. Her invitation is accepted, though Hagen 
full of dark forebodings, implores the king to refuse 
it. They arrive : Chriemhild welcomes her brother 
Geiseler with a tender embrace, the rest with cold 
disdain, and Hagen with a glance of fierce anger, 
which is increased by the taunts and insults which 
even now he cannot repress. This day, however, 
passes in peace ; next morning the two kings are to 
attend mass together, and it appears there is some 
intention of assassinating Giinther and his followers 

b 



XX INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

during the ceremony ; but on seeing them in com- 
plete armour the idea is abandoned. After mass a 
tournament is given in honour of the guests ; Hagen 
with his usual fierce and restless cruelty, seeing one 
of the Huns more splendidly equipped than the 
others, attacks him and pierces him through with his 
lance. This leads to a general engagement, but 
Ezel interfering, peace is again restored. It is soon 
however broken, Hagen, on Ezel's son Ortlieb being 
presented by his royal father to the assembled 
guests, replies to the monarch's kind and concilia- 
tory address, by an insult which rouses Ezel's in- 
dignation, and inflames the queen's fury to the 
utmost. A murderous combat begins, in which 
Blodel (Ezel's brother) is foremost, but is slain 
with all his followers, while, in revenge, nine thousand 
of the Burgundians are killed by the enraged Huns. 
A fearful slaughter now commences. Thousands are 
slain on both sides. Hagen, to crown his other 
ruthless deeds, cuts off the young Ortlieb' s head as 
he sits on his mother's lap. The success of the 
Huns appears more than doubtful, when Chriemhild 
as a last resource, commands the hall to be set on 
fire, which reduces the Burgundians to such straits 
that they are compelled to drink the blood of their 
slaughtered enemies. The last hopes of the queen 
now rest on Riidiger, who having afforded the Bur- 
gundians hospitality under his own roof, is with 
difficulty prevailed on to attack them. At length 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. XXi 

he yields to the united entreaties of Ezel and 
Chriemhild, and after a desperate combat is slain 
with all his followers, but not till the Burgundians 
themselves had been almost annihilated, There now 
remains but one warrior of renown among the Huns, 
who had hitherto with more prudence than courage 
kept aloof from the murderous combat. This was 
Dietrich of Berne, who at length, however, fired with 
rage and grief at the massacre of his friends, leads 
his followers against the few remaining Burgundians, 
of whom very shortly all are destroyed, except 
Gi-inther and Hagen ; these heroes, after a despe- 
rate resistance, he leads bound and bleeding to the 
feet of Chriemhild, who offers Hagen his life on 
the condition of his instant surrender of the treasure 
of which he had so basely deprived her. A con- 
temptuous refusal is the only reply. Chriemhild,. 
frantic with rage, commands the instant execution of 
her unhappy brother, and Hagen, still refusing to 
render up the treasure, she with her husband's 
sword severs his head from his body. Hilbrand 
one of Dietrich's followers, horriried at the deed, 
plunges his sword into Chriemhild' s bosom ! She 
falls, and Ezel, Dietrich, and Hilbrand alone remain 
to mourn the dead. 

Such is an imperfect outline of this ancient and 
extraordinary poem. Siegfried, its hero, is repre- 
sented as uniting all the daring courage of the 
warrior with the milder virtues of the man. and is 



XX11 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

evidently the beau ideal of a perfect knight in those 
wild days of romance and adventure. His generous 
self-devotion and singleness of heart command our re- 
gard and admiration, while his cruel and unmerited 
doom awakens our deepest sympathy. Chriemhild is 
at first all the poet's fancy could frame of loveliness 
and worth in woman, and he dwells with delight on 
her exquisite beauty and gentle virtues, yet in one 
moment of unbridled passion she betrays the secret 
intrusted to her care, and thus becomes the involun- 
tary destroyer of the husband she adores, and 
ultimately the avenging fury, who with her own 
hand can take a fellow- creature's life in cold blood, 
and command the execution of the brother she once 
loved so tenderly ! 

Brunhild's hatred to her sister-in-law r , can scarcely 
be wondered at, when we remember the cruel insult 
she had received at her hands ; but Hagen, the instru- 
ment of her vengeance, is a ruthless implacable 
murderer, whose restless cruelty is ever in search of 
new victims. 

In the drama this character is considerably 
softened, and cast in a nobler mould. Here, his 
whole conduct is represented as flowing from one 
motive alone — and that of the loftiest and most 
disinterested nature — loyalty and devotion to his 
sovereign, which banishes every other feeling, whether 
of pity, honour, or remorse. Such a character, how- 
ever guilty, cannot fail to command some degree of 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. XX111 

respect, and is widely different from the unprincipled 
assassin of the " Lay/' with whom murder seems 
but as sport. The action of the Lay extends oyer a 
long series of years. Ten elapse between Siegfried's 
marriage and his reappearance at Giinther's court ; 
thirteen more between his death and Chriemhild's 
second marriage ; and seven more between that 
event and the final catastrophe — making in all 
thirty years ! 

In the drama the action is necessarily greatly 
condensed, and extends over little more than two 
years. The various events are also considerably 
modified, and it will be seen how completely the 
author has succeeded in divesting his subject of the 
extraneous horrors and barbarities of the old romance, 
while he retains in their full force its strange wild 
beauty, and striking originality of character. 



DRAMATIS PERSONS. 



Gunther, King of Burgundy. 
Chriemhilda, his Sister, 

Siegfried, Hereditary Prince of the Netherlands. 
Brunhild a, Queen of Isenland. 

Dahkwakt, (his brother,) L^^ rflM-fc 

The Margrave Eckart, 

Orttvix, ^ 

Volker von Alzey, Minstrel in G wither 1 spay. 

Ezel, or Attila, King of the Huns. 

Blodel, his brother. 

King* Dietrich of Berne, 

Prince Hawart, 

Prince Irixg, 

The Margrave Rudiger. 



- Attila' s Vassals. 



The Marshal of Brunhilda. 
Ceirith, Brunhilda' f s Confidante. 
Hildica, Chriemhilda s Confidante. 
A Maid Servant of Brunhilda. 
Two Heralds. 
Eugel, the king of the Niebelungens, 

Nobles, Knights, Esquires, Women, Dwarfs, Servants 
and the Populace. 



THE 

NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 



PRELUDE. 
Scene I. 



A Forest in the North of Germany. In the back ground 
lofty rocks— forest on loth sides. 

As soon as the curtain rises, a roaring is heard like 
thunder — to the left flames of fire are seen ascending: 
but both are dying away. King En gel and his 
dwarfs stand to the right listening — the Overture, 
expressive of the battle and its gradual termination, 
continues during this scene, and during the interval 
Eugel speaks. 

Eugel. — Less fiercely glow the flames of livid fire, 
Which from the monster's fearful jaws ascend 
As if from Hecla's dark and fearful crater. 
The desperate combat draws towards a close — 
Fear not— the stars have promised victory 
To this intrepid warrior ! The dragon 
Will fall beneath the hero's mighty arm ! 



The lovely maid who weeps her life away, 
A captive in the fearful dragon's hold, 

B 



[Music. 



2 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Will be restored to liberty and light ! 
And we the children of the cavern' d earth, 
Released from dark and shameful slavery. 

[Music lasting somewhat longer — Eugel 
points to the right. 
Rejoice ! rejoice ! the victory is his ! 
See, he descends the rock, and in his arms 
He bears the royal virgin. Quick, away, 
We will conceal us mid these rocky clefts, 
^Till he who's now our master summon us. 

[The Overture closes — Eugel and his 
dwarfs retire to the right. 

Enter Siegfried from the left, with Chriemhtlda 
insensible in his arms. 

Sieg. — What, dead ? the lovely maid ? the very 
fairest 
That ere mine eye beheld ! my lips have kissed ! 
So charming and so sweet, that I could bear her 
Unwearied in my arms throughout the world. 

[He lags her down on a bank. 
The very moment I beheld, I loved her — 
That eye was once so bright, and now 'tis closed ! 
That voice was once so sweet, and now 'tis hush'd !' 

[He kneels down beside her. 
Ah, me ! few maidens are so fair in life, 
As this sweet girl in death — from these cold lips 
I'll claim the guerdon of my victory. 

[Kisses her. 



THE NIEBELTJNGEN TREASURE. 6 

Ha ! by my sword she lives ! her lips are warm, 
Warm, too, her hand ! She lives ! Yes, she must live, 
Or death would be so beautiful, that life 
Would blush before it. Yes, she only sleeps ! 
Awake, fair maid, awake ! She hears me not. 
Ha ! I will kiss thee, sweetest, 'till thou wakest ! 

Chriemhilda, awaking. — Ha, monster ! in thine 
arms ! away, away ; 
I hate thee, e'en if thou be'st changed to man ! 

Sieg. — Thou dreamest still, fair maid, am I the 
dragon ? 
No — I have sung him such a lullaby, 
That he has fallen asleep, to wake no more. 

Chriem. — Yes, yes, 'tis thou, thou art the gallant 
warrior 
Who ventured battle with the fearful monster — 
Forgive me that I recognized thee not 
The instant I beheld thee. 

Sieg. Nay, sweet maid, 

One forgets everything in sleep ! and yet 
It wonders me thou should' st have fallen asleep, 
The combat with the dragon was but short. 

Chriem. — Fearful! As thou did'st combat with 
the dragon, 
Had I to struggle with my woman's fears : 
For though thy gallant bearing gave me hope, 
The dragon s strength aroused still stronger dread, 
And when the howling monster, wild with rage, 



4 THE XIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Seized thee, and coiFd thee in his fiery folds : 
Oh, then, I deem'd thee lost, and this poor heart, 
OVercome with fear, forgot to beat. 

Sieg. So thou 

Wert really dead, and now thou liv'st again ? 

Chriem. — I was not dead. 

Sieg. So, thou did'st fall asleep 

With terror ? Well ! of that I never heard ! 

Chriem. — I did not fall asleep, I fainted ! 

Sieg. Hey ? 

What kind of thing is that ? 

Chriem. Half death, half sleep. 

Sieg. — And terror threw thee in this death-like 
sleep 1 
How T can'st thou he so tim'rous. noble maid 
If, as the dwarf informed me, from whose lips 
I first heard mention of thy name, thou art 
Of royaf blood ? 

Chriem. Ay, truly, so I am : 

For on the Rhine there reigns a mighty king, 
Gunther his name, tie Lord of Burgundy, 
I am his sister, I am eall'd Chriemhild, 
My father Dankrat, and my mother Ulta, 
Are dead — my brother has the charge of me. 

Sieg. — He ill fulfils the precious trust, methinks, 
Or, how had'st fallen into the dragon's power? 

Chriem, — I stood one evening late on the Altan, 
Lured bv the silv'rv moon and balmv breeze, 



THE NIEBELTJNGEN TREASURE. O 

When lo ! the monster came on lightning wings, 
And clasp'd me wildly in his dragon arms, 
And bore me fainting, trembling, thro' the air, 
And there I sat upon the mossgrown stone 
A year, or more, I know not well how long, 
For there was neither spring nor autumn. No, 
I did not count the days, I saw them pass 
In silent anguish, for too well I knew 
Ere long the monster would be changed to man, 
And I, alas ! compell'd to be his bride. 

Sieg. — So then I came just at the proper time. 

Chriem. — Oh ! like the angel, who with ceaseless 
prayers 
And burning tears, I had implored from heaven. 
I now am free, I now am free once more. 
I have descended from the barren rock 
To this delicious world, where lovely flowers 
In all their varied hues, enchant the eye ; 
Where lofty trees extend their pleasant shade, 
And where the little warblers of the grove, 
Morning and evening raise their tuneful notes, 
In grateful praise to Him who made us all. 
Yes ! I shall see my childhood's home once more, 
Again behold all who return' d my love, 
With equal warmth, and fondness, ay — and all 
Which though they cannot give me love for love, 
Habit and memory have rendered dear. 
I shall behold my own blue Rhine once more, 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

In autumn I shall gather golden fruit 

As I was wont : and when the balmy spring 

Breathes fragrant beauty o'er a joyous world, 

Shall roam amid the meadows with my maids 

And cull sweet flowers, and hear the cuckoo's song. 

Delightful thought ! oh, I could weep for joy ! 

And all this happiness I owe to thee ! 

How can I prove my deepfelt gratitude ! 

Gh, I could kneel before thee in the dust, 

And clasp thy knees in thankful extasy ! 

Sieg. — How have my knees deserv'd the tribute? No, 
If in this wise thou It prove thy gratitude, 
Give me that sweet embrace ? 

Chriem. A bold demand. 

Sieg. — Well then, let me embrace thee, lovely one? 

Chriem.— None but my brother may. 

Sieg. What, not thy husband ? 

Chriem. — They tell me that he may. 

Sieg. Then hear, sweet maid. 

My eye was not more rapid than my heart, 
This lov'd thee, e'en so soon as that beheld thee ! 
An thou wilt be my wife, I'll be thy Lord, 
Like thee I am of royal lineage. 

Chriem. How 

Canst thou address a maiden thus ? 

Sieg. And why ? 

Spoke I of steeds, or battle, spear, or shield, 
Well might' st thou say— is talk like this beseeming ? 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. / 

But sweet to speak of marriage to a maid ! 

Chriem.—I may not wed. 

Sieg. Why then art thou so fair I 

Chriem. — If I am really fair, so I'll remain. 
Man's love is mildew to the flowers of beauty. 

Sieg. — For whom then art thou fair ? for sun 
and moon, 
For beast and bird, or only for thy maids ? 
No, 'tis for man thy loveliness was given, 
And therefore must thou wed. 

Chriem. I dare not wed. 

Sieg. — Who has forbidden thee ? 

Chriem. A dream has warned me ! 

Sieg. — x\ dream, fair maiden, how? what kind 
of dream ? 

Chriem. — Methought that I had rear'd a noble 
falcon, 
Strong, beautiful, and white as driven snow, 
I lov'd it tenderly, and morn and eve, 
Kiss'd it, and fed it with delicious food : 
Then I beheld two eagles, black as night, 
And they allur'd my favorite from my lap, 
I saw them slay him, struggling in the air, 
And I was cover' d with his bleeding plumes — 
Trembling, I asked my mother, lady Ulta, 
The meaniug of this dream, and she replied, 
The noble falcon is a gallant warrior, 
Who'll love thee well, and woo thee as his bride, 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

But if thou wed'st him, woe betide the hour, 
For deep and bitter grief he'll bring on thee 
Through his untimely and disastrous doom. 

Sieg.—Aj, she spoke very truly, and of me, 
To me, too, 'twas predicted I should die 
In early youth, but not 'till I had shone 
Victor in many a stern but glorious strife, 
Which minstrels still shall sing in future days. 
See, this agrees exactly with thy dream — 

1 am thy noble falcon, lovely maid, 

And e'en as thou did'st kiss me in thy dream, 
So shalt thou kiss me in reality. 

Chriem. — And were I sure thou wert my noble 
falcon, 
And though I fain would take thee to my heart, 
How should I knowingly prepare myself, 
The bitter grief to mourn thy early doom. 

Sieg. — Nay, beauteous Chriemhild, wherefore let 
the future 
Perplex or grieve thee ? Let us gladly seize 
Whatever joys the present hour may bring ! 
My father 's very old, what boots it him ? 
He can no longer fight, no longer love. 
Think ! if we love each other but one year, 
'Tis many thousand hours, and how oft, 
Sweet, can I kiss thee during all those hours ? 
Then only tell me if I please thee, love, 
But half so well as thou, sweet, pleasest me. 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 9 

Chriem. — However well a warrior may please 
A maid, her lips dare not confess it. 

Sieg. No? 

Then only tell me, wilt thou be my wife I 

Chriem. —I cannot tell thee, thou must ask my 

brother. 
Sieg. — How ? shall another render me the thanks 
Thou owest me ? 

Chriem. I'll gladly pay the debt, 

If thy demand be not too high, my lord. 
Sieg. — I ask a word. 

Chriem. A word I may not speak ; 

But I may tell thee this, that when I saw thee 
Engaged in fearful strife in my behalf, 
I swore a vow unto the holy Virgin 
To serve thee as thy maid, if thou wert victor. 
Thou now art victor ! 

Sieg. Ay, and thou my maid. 

Chriem. — And ready to obey her lord's behest. 
Sieg. — And what, then, if I said, come close 

to me ? 
Chriem. — Why, truly then, the handmaid must 

obey. 
Sieg. — "What, if I further said, embrace me — hey ? 
Chriem. — The handmaid must obey her lord's 
command, 
E'en though the blush of shame suffuse her cheeks, 
With glowing crimson. — 



10 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

[Tries to kiss him, but draws back. 
Noble lord, / cannot, 
Here to receive were easier than to give. 

Sieg. — {kissing her.) 
Ha, maiden ! wondrous sweet ! oh, not my maid, 
My sovereign queen, my mistress shalt thou be — 
My brightest treasure, and my richest gem, 
I'll guard thee like the apple of mine eye, 
And deck thy form with jewels, 'till the sun 
Himself shall hold thee for a fairer sister ! 
On ! dearest, on ! I'll lead thee back to Worms, 
And claim thee from thy brother as my bride — 
If he consent, say, wilt thou be my wife ? 

Chriem. — Thy gallant arm has won me as 

thine own. 
Sieg. — Oh that a thousand dragons would but 
come, 
That I might slay them all in my delight : — 
On, on to Worms— there, higher bliss awaits me, 
But how to find the pathway from this wood ; — 
Where is the dwarf who led my footsteps hither ? 
Ho — Eugel ! Eugel ! Royal dwarf appear ? 

Enter Eugel and dwarfs. — Eugel kneels. 

Eugel. — Hail to thee, noble warrior ! hail, all hail ! / 
Thou'st freed us from the yoke of slavery, — 
We come to pay thee homage, for we are 
Thy subjects now, and all that we possess, 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 11 

And all the treasures that these rocks conceal, 
Are thine, and thine alone — 

Sieg. Stand up, stand up — 

You're short enough already, up I say. 
I never thought about delivering you, 
But since it has so chanced, I'm glad of it, — 
But not a word of sovereignty, or homage ; 
My only subjects are my horse and sword! 
And 1 desire no others yet awhile. 
But speak, what did'st thou say of treasures here ? 

Hug el. — Deep in these rocky caverns lies concealed 
Such boundless wealth, that though a hundred 

kings, 
As liberal each, as any king on earth, 
Should spend profusely for an hundred years, 
The treasure would not be exhausted. 

Sieg. Ay I 

And these are mine I 

Eugel. If thou wilt take them. Yes. 

Sieg. — Take them ? and wherefore not I 

Eugel. Of all these treasures 

Far the most precious is the magic cap. 

Sieg. — What mean you I magic cap ! 

Eugel. It is a cap 

Of golden filigree — when once 'tis placed 
Upon thine head thou art invisible — 
Hid from all human ken. 



12 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Sieg. Well, that I'll take 

And all the treasure — gold and jewels too. 

EugeL — Hast thou bethought thee if 'twill bring 
thee weal ? 
Unbounded power begets unbounded pride, — 
Too often gold and precious gems awake 
Dark, fearful passions in the breasts of men, 
And while these slumber, only are ye good. 
Let an example warn thee, crimes enough 
This fatal treasure has already caused : 
Siegfried beware ! beware ! 

Sieg. Crimes ! and what crimes ? 

Engel. — They call us Niebelungen, and we dwell 
From the beginning, in these rocks and caves, 
And still 'twas our delight whatever shone 
Or glittered— bright or costly — gold or gem, 
To gather from the gloomy realms of night, 
And many a beauteous work to frame therefrom. 
The noise of these — our treasures — spread abroad ; 
The giant Hindmar came o'er distant seas, — 
Made himself master of our wealth, and us 
His bondmen ; — then, alas, were we compel? d 
Both day and night to labour and collect, 
'Neath stripes and blows, and cruel chastisement, 
For him those very treasures we had loved 
To gather for ourselves when we were free. 
The mighty gods sent him his meet reward — 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 13 

Yes, his own sons — Fafner the one was called, 
The other Reigen — thirsting for his wealth, 
Murder' d their cruel father while he slept ; 
Then when the treasure, w T on by such a crime, 
Was to be shared between the brothers — Fafner, 
Resolved to be sole master of the whole, 
Conspired against his weaker brother's life, 
But he escaped and never more was seen. 
The vengeance of an angry Deity 
Fell on the double traitor — he was chang'd 
Into the dragon thou hast slain this day. 

Chriem. — Oh, gallant warrior, dear and noble lord, 
Leave the unhallow'd treasure, rich and rare, 
And costly though it be. Once has it caused 
Foul crime and bloodshed, — may it not produce 
The like again 1 

Sieg. Nay, sweet, how canst thou speak 

So foolishly, yet look so wondrous fair, 
What matter others evil deeds to me ? 
Though ten unnatural sons had slain their fathers 
With the same sword, still would I use that sword, 
If 'twere a trusty weapon, for I know 
That I should never slay my father with it. 

Eugel. — "I know," is rashly said of things to eotne. 

Chriem. — Besides, 'tis here, far otherways, this 
treasure 
Was won by Heathens, and by sorcerers, 
But we are — surelv thou'rt a Christian too ? 



14 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Sieg. — I am ; but wherefore should I sacrifice 
What I have won in fair and open fight. 

Chriem. — Nay, Death, methinks, lies sleeping in 
this treasure, 
And wilt thou wake him 1 

Sieg. Ay sweet, that I will, 

Though 'twere the Archfiend's self. 

Chriem. Alas, remember 

The noble falcon ? 

Sieg. I remember well ! 

What should a noble falcon know of fear ? 
And what have I to dread ? Did I not slay, 
Ere yet I climb' d the steep— a dozen dragons? 

Eugel. — Ay, they were Fafner's servants. 

Sieg. Be it so. 

I burnt to ashes their accursed nest, 
And. did anoint me in their melted horn, 
Which made me proof 'gainst every human sword. 

Eugel. — Ay, but one single spot escaped thine hand, 
And that is vulnerable still — its hue 
Will tell thee w T here it lies. 

Sieg. And where then ? Speak. 

Eugel.— Upon thy back. 

Sieg. So be it, — there, at least, 

No foeman'shand will e'er inflict a wound. 

Chriem. — No foeman's hand,— but treachery 
perchance. 

Sieg.— Hush! loveliest, hush!— the treasure shall 
be mine, 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 15 

And thou, my queen and lady, shalt outshine 
In splendour as in beauty, every queen 
Who ever wore a diadem on her brows. 
So, Eugel, quick — the treasure send to Worms, 
And horses — if I need — to carry it. 

Eugel. — Good sooth, thou'lt need a hundred, 
gallant knight, 
But then, thy slightest word, has all the force 
Of magic — here, [Voices in the distance. 

1st Voice. — Will the wood never end? 

2nd Voice. — There, I see human forms. 

Chriem. — What voice is that? 
Ha ! 'tis my brother — brother, dearest brother ! 

Enter Gunther, Hagen, Volker. 
Chriemhilda rushes into Gunther' s arms. 

Gun. — Ha, sweetest Chriemhild! dearest sister mine, 
At last I find thee ! after years of search 
By glen and valley, mountain, stream, and wood, 
With these, my gallant followers, and at length 
I win thee without blood or combat. 

Chriem. Nay, 

My dearest brother, nay, my noble lord, 
Not without combat — see this gallant knight 
Rescued me from the fearful dragon's power, 

Gun. — Thanks, youthful hero, thanks, now let me 
know 
Thy name and lineage. 



16 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Sieg. Siegfried is my name, 

Son to King Siegmund of the Netherlands 

Gun. {holding out his hand.)— Once more, Prince 
Siegfried of the Netherlands, 
Accept my warmest thanks, and could' st thou know 
How tenderly I love this little maid, — 
My only sister — thou could' st estimate 
The warmth and fervour of my gratitude. 

Sieg. — Nay, speak no more on't, noble lord. — In 
sooth 
'Twas no such great achievement after all. 
I roam from land to land to seek adventures, 
All was monotonous and dull at home, 
So passing by, it chanced I saw the dragon, 
And as I saw him — why of course I slew him ; — 
But, would' st thou really prove thy gratitude, 
Give me the maid I've rescued, as my wife. 

Hag en. — A daughter of the house of Burgundy, 
That were indeed a kingly recompense- 
s'.— Ha ! meanest thou I do not merit it? 
Why did'st not come thyself, and slay the dragon ? 

Hag en. — Why, so I had, if fortune had not led 
Thee here before me. 

Sieg. I believe thee, yes. 

Thou seem'st a gallant warrior, but thou art 
Too proud for me. — Now speak, king Giinther, thou. 

Volker. — True, 'tis a kingly guerdon, but what 
then? 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 1/ 

Does not so great a service merit it? 
Prince Siegfried is himself of royal blood, 
And many a land already speaks his fame. 

Gun. — This we'll discuss when we're returned to 
Worms, 
If thou wilt serve me for my sister's sake. 

Sieg. — Yes, 1 will serve thee, monarch — tell me 

how? 
Giin. — Now that my sister's free, will I effect 
A purpose which I long have had in view, 
And venture on a voyage to Isenland. 
There reigns a young and lovely virgin Queen, 
A maid endow' d with more than woman's strength, 
Brunhild her name. — Her will I woo as bride. 
Do thou attend me thither, we must cross 
The stormy main, and ye of Netherlands, 
'Tis said, are masters of the seaman's craft. 

Sieg. — Enough, I'll with thee — trust unto my 

skill. 
Eif gel. — How ! would' st thou woo Brunhilda, 
royal Giinther ! 
And know'st thou how the proud one must be won ? 
Giin.-A.ji in three combats must I vanquish 

her ! 
Eugel. — And if thou fail'st thy head must pay the 

. forfeit. 
Giln. — Most true— but if victorious I shall win 
The lovely virgin, and her blooming realm. 

c 



18 THE NTEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Eugel — Yes — such the doom which, by her magic 
arts, 
Her mother has suspended o'er her head, 
That dauntless valour and unbounded pride, 
Aided by more than giant strength of limb, 
Descended from her father— might not leave 
The royal maid to wither on the stalk 
Of virgin loveliness. 
But thou, King Gunther, wilt not vanquish her, 

Gun. — What can'st thou know ? 

Eugel \ Much that is hid from you. 

? Tis magic only can dissolve the spell. 

Sieg. — There I can aid thee — Brunhild shall be 
thine — 
So thou wilt promise me thy sister's hand. 

Gun. — So be it. 

Fug el. Beware, ye monarchs, the deceiver 

Oft falls into the snare himself has set. 

Sieg. — "Well, well, 'tis all arranged, no more delay. 
Thy lovely sister thou'lt send back to Worms. 

Gun. — Thou, gallant Tolker, wilt discharge this 
trust. 

Volker. — With joy, my Lord. 

Sieg. Now, Eugel, quick — dispatch — 

Pack up the treasures I will send them with. 

Eugel. — How — and my warning ? 

Sieg. Oh, another time — 

But bid them bring me here the magic cap — 



THE NIEBBLUNGEN TREASURE. 19 

Away to Isenland — thou, gallant knight, 
Wilt guard both maid and treasure on their way, 
(To Chriemhilda.) Farewell, sweet love! Oh, some- 
times thiuk of me ; 
Chriem. — My heart, where ere I am. will be with 
thee. 

\Exeunt omnes — except Eugel amd dwarfs. 
Euge! (to one dwarf) You go and carry him the 
magic cap, 
As he commanded . 

{To others.) Be it your task to stow 

Away, in caskets well secur'd, the treasure 
To follow him. 

(To others.) You lay the golden bit 
On the wild steeds that herd amid the woods — 
Submissively will they obey your call. 

[The dwarfs obey, and exeunt, 
To minister unto the joys of man, 
The gods permit the precious ore to grow 
Within the deep recesses of the earth — 
'Tis for his pleasure that the living flower, 
Blight, glorious woman, blooms in rosy light 
But blindly following the voice of passion 
And proudly scorning reason, he abuses 
The gracious gifts that favouring heaven bestows — 
And from the precious ore and living flower 
Spring dosolation, treachery, and murder. 

{The dwarfs in the background are busy obeying 
Eugel' s orders. 



20 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

They have decided, vain and haughty princes, 
Whether for good or evil, time alone 
Must teach them. Further dared I not unfold 
The destiny that waits them : for the gods 
Leave man the exercise of his own free will — 
He only reaps the seeds his hand has sown, 
And bears the burden he himself has chosen. 



FIRST ACT. 



Scene 1. — Open space on the coast of Isenlancl. In the 
background the ope?i sea — at the moment the scene draws 
up, the ship lands amidst triumpjhal music ; the sails 
are purple and the banners white. Siegfried sits at the 
stern, the rest of the deck is full of sailors. 

Sieg. — (when the music ceases.) 
Halloa! Halloa! Halloa! the vessel's keel 
Touches the shore — we are at Isenland. 
Sailors. — Halloa! Halloa! 
Sieg. springs on shore — then to the sailors. 
Come, cheerly, friends— out with the ladders ! quick ! 
[Then Gilnther and his vassals appear on deck. 
Sieg.—AxidL let us free the monarch and his 

knights 
rom this uneasy cradle — cheerly on ! 

[The ladders are placed, — they descend. 
Yes, yes, the cradle is indeed uneasy, 
When the rude tempest sings the lullaby, 
The tempest is a most ungentle nurse. 

[Giving his hand to Gilnther. 
So, welcome, monarch, to the land thou soon 
Wilt call thine own ! 



22 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Own. Heaven grant success in this 

Our dangerous enterprise : as hitherto 
It has protected us from all mischance. 

Hagen. — 'Tis a good prayer! Heaven guard us ! 
'tis not well 
To set thy life upon a single cast. 
A sovereign's life is not his own to risk. 

Volker. — A battle on dry land is but a game 
Compared with all the dangers of the sea. 

Sieg. — Ay, you're right glad no doubt that once 
again 
You stand upon dry ground ! ay, ay, the sea 
Is somewhat deeper than your boasted Rhine — 
'Tis an unbridled fiery steed, which now 
Like some huge mountain, rears himself aloft 
Now stretches him at length upon the ground — 
Thus never granting quiet to his rider, 
But ever holding him in fear and dread. 

Gun. — Ay, but thou, Siegfried, art a gallant rider, 
And curb'd the rebel with a master's hand. 

Sieg. — Like every steed, my Lord, it knows its 
master, 
And knows how far to venture with him too. 

Giin. — Thou, fearless steersman ! well, accept my 
thanks. 

Hagen.~This country looks but darkly on its 
guests, 
As though 'twould say — " Intruders, get ye hence.' 5 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 23 

Bank.— It does not look as though 'twere made 
for guests. 

G$n.— It seems a wild and yet a lovely land, 
The lofty trees of yonder gloomy wood, 
Might soon assume the forms of masts and "keels, 
The mountain though not rich in gold, abounds 
In iron, wherewith gold might well be won — 
And like the country doubtless are its sons — 
Stern, but resolved, — and dauntless in the fight : 
And so, methinks, the land's well worth our pains. 

Or twin. — And see'st thou, my Lord, yon roya 
tower — 
At the first glance it seems a gloomy fort, 
Devoid of grandeur — but a second look 
Discovers many an outward ornament, 
Signs of the splendour that must reign within. 

Sieg. — Doubtless vast treasures lie within those 
walls — 
Treasures, Brunhilda and her ancestors 
Have won in combat on the broad blue main. 

Hagen. — Look you, a train descends the castle 
steep, 
'Tis messengers, methinks, sent by the queen, 
To learn the purpose of our landing here. 

Sieg. — How now our purpose ? what is that to 
them ? 
Say not a word — we come because we choose ! 

Gun. — Bush, gallant warrior; no contention now ! 



24 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Enter Brunhilda' s Marshal with a train of 
followers. 

Marshal. — Hail! gallant strangers, hail! my 
noble mistress, 
Brunhilda, mighty sovereign of these realms, 
Sends me to learn your names and whence you come, 
And what may be your aim in landing here — 
The purple sails would indicate a King — 
The snow-white standard speaks of friendly purpose. 

Gtin. — My name is Gunther, King of Burgundy 
Upon the distant Rhine, and these my vassals — 
And for my purpose, herald ! 'tis as kind 
And friendly as the balmy breath of spring — 
But to the Queen alone may I unfold it, 
And I beseech an hospitable welcome. 

Marshal. — That, monarch, all may claim who 
come in peace — 
Then follow me, my Lord ! 

Sieg. I will remain 

To guard the ships. (Aside.) Goon! Til follow thee, 
Invisible ! Brunhilda shall not see me 
Before the combat, but when on the field 
Of battle, thou shalt feel a friendly pressure, 
Be sure 'tis Siegfried clasps thine hand ! Away ! 
Be of good courage ! thou wilt win the prize, 
For I am more than strong — this form of mine, 
Know 'tis invulnerable ! thou art my friend, 
And I will aid thee in the dangerous strife. 



THE NIEBELTJNGEN TREASURE. 25 

Gun.— Brave spirit! {To the others) Onwards, 

then I follow thee. 
Siegfried alone, putting the cap on his head, 
Sieg.— Come, wondrous cap ! thou golden magic, 
come ! 
Oh, thou that hid'st me from all human eyes, 
For the first time I'll test thy wondrous power — 
To many an evil purpose might one turn thee — 
In many a maiden's chamber, many a cave 
Of treasure steal by night, by aid of thee ; 
Through thee, how lightly might one penetrate 
The deep recesses of the human heart — 
Read all its hopes, its wishes, and its fears, 
Its secret musing and its waking dreams ! 
And these disclosing, break full many a tie 
Of ancient friendship, guileless confidence, 
And change the friend to foe, and love to hate ! 
But of my service shalt thou never shame thee. 
What is my purpose now ? To aid a friend, 
And tame a haughty maid who will not love ! 
Out on the foolish one ! Why, what avails 
A woman upon earth who will not love ? 
Hence with the noxious weed ! oh, how unlike 
My fair and gentle Chriemhild ! as a flower 
Unfolds its varied beauties to the sun, 
E'en so did she unfold her heart to me. 
When I had saved her from the dragon's power, 
xind now, perchance, she stands on the Altan, 



26 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

And gazes sadly on the lowering sky, 

And thinks — beneath these clonds he wanders now, 

And yonder little bird may fly to him — 

Oh happy bird ! then anxiously enquires 

Whence the wind blows, and if 'twill speed him well — 

And rather far would hear a lion roar 

Then the shrill boding scream of the curlew — 

Oh ! 'tis a priceless treasure, such a maid ! 

Now, by degrees, will I approach the castle, 

Lest I should chance to miss the hour of combat ! 

[To the sailors. 
Ho ! Comrades, cheerily there — and hold good watch, 
Or else a whale may sup on you to-night ! 

[Exit. 



Scene II. — A hall in Brunhildah Castle, with a throne 
on the right , windows on the left, Ceirith, with other 
ladies, enters from the right. 

Ceirith. — Yes, I am to receive these noble strangers! 
Our royal mistress will not see the Prince, 
'Till certain that he really comes with aim 
As mild and friendly as the breath of spring — 
Marshal ! conduct him here that we may learn. 

[Marshal exit. 
Our royal lady fears, like many more 
He comes to woo her as his bride. 



THE NIEBELUXGEN TREASURE. 27 

Lady, Perchance ! 

But this is sure, he cannot know the mode 
Of wooing, or the danger would appal him. 

Ceirith. — Hope not for that, whom has it e'er 
appall'd! 

Lady. — Then will he madly rush on certain death ! 

Enter Gunther, Hagen, Dan kw art, and some 
of Brunhildas nobles, Ceirith stands on the 
lowest step of the throne. 

Ceirith.— I bid you welcome in my sovereign's 
name — 
The high and mighty Queen of Isenland, 
The mistress of the seas ! 

Gun. Thanks, lady, thanks — 

But I had hoped thy queen herself would deign 
To bid us welcome. 

Ceirith. She demands through me 

What purpose leads thee to these distant shores ? 

Gun. — The fame of her surpassing loveliness, 
And matchless prowess have become the theme 
Of neighbouring lands, and many a noble Prince, 
Who well might deem him worthy such a prize — 
Has whisper' d to his heart — Oh, were she mine ! 
And thus it chanced with me, and as the maid 
Follows the warbling of the nightingale, 
So have I come o'er distant land and main 
To woo her as my bride ! 

Ceirith. Is that thine aim ? 



28 THE N1EBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Knowest thou ? 

Giin. I know three combats must I fight. 

Ceirith. — And if thou'rt vanquished ? 

Gun. Then my head must fall. 

Ceirith. — 'Tis even so ! such is the law's decree, 
Subscribed by all the nobles of her realm — 
To this the queen has pledged her royal word, 
By Odin and by Asen's sacred shrines ! 
Wilt thou submit to this, and wilt thou bid 
Thy vassals swear they will not rescue thee. 

Gun. — To all the law commands will I submit ! 

Ceirith. — No, let them shew thee first, the bleed- 
ing heads 
Of those who've fall'n already in this strife. 

Giln. — In vain! You cannot change my firm 
resolve ! 

Ceirith. — (to a Noble lady.) 
Go tell our lady all that you have heard. 

{To a Nobleman.) 
Prepare the lists, for 'tis our sovereign's will 
This very hour shall decide her fate. 

(To Giint her.) 
And Prince, for thee — thou can'st not be her guest 
To woo her as thy bride, that is to seek 
To rob her of her freedom, and her crown,— 
And in her eyes thou art the worst of foes : 
If thou art vanquished, thou wilt cease to live — 
If victor, thou wilt then be master here, 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 1\) 

And not a guest— a guest thou can'st not be — 
Then, monarch, up ! prepare thee for the fight, 
Prepare thee for the death thou seekest. 

Hag an (aside to Gunther). Hear me, 

My sovereign! I had hoped, if victory- 
Should fail thee, that our swords might rescue thee. 
But if an oath must fetter them, oh King ! 
List to my prayer — resign the enterprise. 

Gun. — It may not be — up, follow to the lists. 

[Exeunt all but Ceirith and ladies. 
Ceirith and Ladies — manent. 
Here from this window may we view the combat, 
And once again, as we so oft have done, 
Witness our royal lady's victory! 

Lady. — Oh, may the God of battles bless her 

arms ! 
Ceirith. — O woe to us, if it chanced otherwise — 
Were he to conquer, we must follow her 
To distant climes, and though a foreign land 
Be far more fair, more blooming than our own, 
Yet like oar childhood's home it ne'er can be. 

Lady. — See, see, our sovereign weighs the ponderous 
stone — 
She hurls it — how it whizzes through the air, 
And now it falls — that was a throw indeed. 

Lady. — 'Tis the king's turn — ha? swifter flies 
the stone, 
And further, too — much further. 



30 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Ceirith. Oh, ye gods,— 

Will ye desert our mistress in her need. 

Lady. — She grasps the bow. 

Ceirith. Now will she surely triumph, 

For this demands not only strength, but skill ; 
In this she is indeed invincible. 

Lady. — She has hit the mark ! 

Ceirith. Ay, but so has the king ; 

Speak, which has hit it nearest, can'st thou see ? 

Lady. — I cannot, but the queen appears incens'd. 

Ceirith. — If she is angry she is lost indeed. 
Ha ! now the struggle comes where blood must flow ! 

Lady. — Behold our sov'reign throws the weighty 
spear, 
The monarch reels — yes, yes ! her spear has pierced 
His shield. 

Another Lady. — Ay, but he flings it now. 

Ceirith. She falls, 

Oh, she is wounded, wounded mortally, 
Fly to her succour. 

Lady. Do not fear, she rises. 

She leaves the lists. 

Ceirith.— Alas ! but she is vanquish'd. 

Enter Brunhilda, in armour. 

Brun. — Off with my armour, quickly, I am van- 
quished, 
This noble panoply no more must deck 



THE NIEBELtJNGEN TREASURE. 31 

The form whose strength has failed for victory ; 
Off with it ! off! the conquer' d warrior 
Dishonours e'en the armour that he bears. 

[Her Ladies disarm her. 
Nor conquer' d only ! with the fame of arms 
I lose the pride, the glory of my life, 
The liberty so long, so dearly prized ! 
I must become a wife — a wife — a wife ; 
I dare no longer ride the ocean steed, 
No longer combat on the broad blue main, 
Oh, cruel mother ! what then was my crime, 
That thou should' st doom me to so hard a fate. 
Where shall I hide my shame ? Where is the spot 
Where there is neither air, nor light, nor sound ? 

She is now disarmed and appears simply clad in 
white, with a purple girdle clasped ivith silver. 

Ceirith. — Despair not, queen! thou art not 
wholly lost, 
Does not the magic girdle clasp thy breast ? 

Brim. — Yes, yes! this precious treasure yet remains, 
My tender father's gift ; its magic power 
Will bid defiance to my mother's arts. 
I am Brunhilda still ! Go, call this Prince 
That I may speak with him — and I will speak 
In such a tone, that even now perchance 
He may resign the half won enterprise, 

[She ascends the throne. 



32 THE NIEBELUXGEX TREASURE 

Enter Guxther, Hagen, Siegfried, &c. 

Gun. — Fair Princess ! we await thy sovereign will ! 

Bru7i. — Who is the gallant warrior at your side, 
I saw him not 'till now. 

Glln. His name is Siegfried, 

Son to King Siegmund of the Netherlands, 
He seeks my sister Chriemhild as his bride. 

Brun. — Now, noble monarch, hear ! thou'st con- 
quer' d me — 
My spear but pierced thy shield — thine hurl'd me 

down; 
Thy stone flew farther far than mine— thy shaft 
Alighting in the centre of the mark, 
Split mine to shivers— now my fate decrees 
That if thou wilt, I must become thy wife — 
But, oh beware ! we both shall rue the day. 

Giln. — Nay, lady, 'twas to win thee for my bride, 
I've braved all perils, both by land and main, 
And now I see thee, shall I change my mind ? 

Brun. — If thou art prudent, thou wilt change it 
yet— 
The Gods have given me a woman's form — 
My heart and head belong not to my sex — 
All female tasks and labours I despise ; 
I cannot spin, like the mis-shapen spider, 
Nor gather stores like the industrious bee, 
I cannot keep unruly maids in order, 



THE NIEBELTJNGEK TREASURE. 33 

As dogs keep sheep,— with barking and with bite ; 

Obey I cannot, I can only rule ; 

xind as for love, why all I know is this, 

It makes a woman slave unto her lord. 

I cannot foster, nurse, or tend a child, 

My hand, used only to the spear and sword, 

Would in an instant crush so frail a being — 

What wilt thou then with such a wife as this ? 

Go — seek another who will follow thee 

Without compulsion — thou hast been victorious — 

Victorious in a combat where, believe me, 

Full many a gallant warrior has paid 

The price of daring courage with his blood. 

Content thee with the honour thou hast won : 

But— take my counsel — do not seek the prize. 

Gun. — Many a harsh word, fair virgin, hast thou said, 
But, oh, these words they flow from lips so sweet, 
Thy wondrous beauty so enchants the eye, 
The ear hears only music, and not words. 
Thus all thy threats have fail'd to sink my hopes 
In tournaments mere glory may suffice, 
But in a fight like this for life and limb, 
The combatant's sole aim must be the prize. 

Sieg. — And if one wished for honour, sure 'twere 
strange, 
To seek it in a combat with a maid. 

Gila. — What though the name and duties of a wife 
May be distasteful to thy haughty soul, 



34 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Trust me, fair queen, they will not always be. 

Thou lovest liberty, and shunnest chains 

Which, did'st thou know them, thou would' st gladly 

wear — 
E'en as the gardener grafts the stately tree 
On the wild stem — e'en so the hand of love 
Grafts tenderness and softness on the mind. 
And as the wild stem bears delicious fruit, 
So love produces gentleness and love. 

Brun.— Hope not for that, renounce this vain desire. 
Gun. — It may not be— so charming is the prize — 
That folly only would resign it. 

Brun. Well — 

So be it— but one more combat must thou fight. 
Soon as the night shall veil the light of heaven, 
The bridal chamber shall be all prepared, 
But willingly I will not follow thee. 
No< — thou must bear me there by strength of arm ; 
With all my strength will I resist thee too, 
And ne'er wilt thou prevail 'till thou hast torn 
This girdle— look at it — regard it well — 
In this lies all my strength ; 'till thou hast torn 
This girdle from my bosom— but remember, 
If thou hast not prevail' d ere midnight sound, 
Thine head will pay the forfeit. 

Gun. Be it so. 

Sieg.~ King Giinther will not shun this trial. 
Gun. No — 



THE NIEBELTJNGEN TREASURE. 35 

This victory, I trust, will crown my work. 

Brun. — My strength will vanish then — deprived 
of this 
I shall be weak as any other woman ; 
My doom will then be fixed, I shall be thine, 
And thine my wealth, my people, and my crown. 
(Rising.) But destiny itself can give thee nought 
But these, — my form, my sceptre, and my throne : 
My heart, my spirit, will be still mine own. 
E'en as the granite rock remains unmov'd, 
Tho' swarms of hornets round its summits buz, 
E'en so the earth, the sun, may be destroyed — 
A steadfast soul can never, never change. [Exit. 

[Hagen, Gunther, and Siegfried maneat. 
Sieg. — Ha! ha! ha! ha! now for a merry fight 
With a fair maiden in the dead of night. 

Gun. — Thou, thou alone can'st rob her of the girdle, 
Mere human strength can never vanquish her. 

Sieg. — I'll follow ! thanks to this enchanted cap — 
Yes, yes ! I'll follow thee invisible — 
And as I threw the stone and hurl'd the lance, 
And shot the arrow for thee — 

Hagen. Did he this ? 

Gun. — He did, he stood invisible behind me. 
Sieg. — Why then, I'll win the girdle for thee, too, 
If thou should' st fail to tame this haughty bride — 
Well, does this please thee ? 

Gun. Yes, assuredly ; 

And well thou know'st the guerdon I will give. 



36 THE NIEBELUNEGN TREASURE. 

Sieg. — True, I sincerely wish for the reward, 
But I would do it for mere amusement's sake — 
But there are many hours still to evening ; 
I'll see if there is aught for me to do. 

Gun, — Forget not thou hast promised secrecy. 
Sieg. — I have, and now I promise it once more. 
Giin. — Ay, but already hast thou broke thy vow. 
Sieg. — That is no breach, he is thy faithful man. 

[Exit. 
Giin. — Thou lookest gloomy — this displeases thee. 
Hag en. — Yes, I confess, my lord, this does not 
please me ; 
That he should fight for thee — that may be borne, 
For champions can be hired, my lord, and paid — 
But that he should attend thy steps within 
The sanctuary of the bridal chamber, 
Where modesty finds e'en the darkest night 
Too light — and seeks to make it darker still ; 
That he should touch the woman thou hast chosen 
As partner of thy throne and of thy bed, 
Mother of future Kings of Burgundy, 
This seems to me both rash and unbeseeming. 

Gun. — What shall this noble work remain unfinished, 
And shall I cast away this blooming realm, 
Already nearly won — it may not be — 
Is't not a sovereign's duty to augment 
His strength and power, that he may stand the firmer 
Amid the storm of war ? 

Hagen. Doubtless, my lord, 



y 



THE N1EBELTJNGEN TREASURE. 37 

It is his duty — yes. But he who buys 

A new possession at too dear a price 

Does not increase his power, but weakens it ; 

My heart forbodes, not for thy kingdom's weal, 

Takest thou this heathen woman as thy wife. 

Gun. — What, does it trouble thee that she's a hea- 
then? 
Oh, I will soon convert her to our faith. 

Hagen. — No, monarch, thou must plant the vine 
in spring, 
If thou would' st have it give thee fruit in autumn — 
Brunhilda's heart is but a desert wild, 
This is no soil in which to sow the seeds 
Of a religion pure and mild as ours. 
And were this kingdom twenty times as fair, 
I would not take it with a queen like this. 

Giin. — So then her empty words have startled thee ? 
Twas but a scene got up to frighten us. 

Hagen. — How ! think you then, my lord, her 
boundless pride 
Would stoop to such deception ? — No, 'twas real. 
Should she e'er learn how she has been betray' d, 
And should the fatal tale too justly rouse 
The dark and fearful passions of her soul ! 
Oh, think upon the quiet of thiue house — 
Better a hostile force before thy towers, 
Than hate within their walls ; the sturdy oak 
May bid defiance to the tempest's rage, 
The little worm will undermine its strength. 



38 THE N1EBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

G?m.— Thou nearest he has promised secrecy. 
Hagen.— Promis'd! alas, my sovereign, thou may' st 
count 
Upon the constancy of wind and wave, 
But not upon the secrecy of man. 

Giln. - How, speak'st thou thus, my faithful fol- 
lower ? 
So then I could not even count on thine. 

Hagen. — Upon the secrecy of those I mean, 
Who've something more than thee to love on earth. 
I, king, am thine —fidelity to thee 
Is now the master passion of my soul, 
And honour, sovereign queen with other men, 
With me is only slave to loyalty, 
And this thou knowest — oh, then, let me beseech thee, 
Oh listen — listen to my warning voice, 
Give up this work of danger and deceit. 

Giln. — I cannot turn my heart from its intent, 
The maid is lovely, and her realm is rich. 

Hagen. — Free may'st thou choose, that is a mo- 
narch's right ; 
The faithful servant it beseems to give 
Advice and warning. If his sov'reign's choice 
Lead unto evil, 'tis his duty then 
To stand beside him — be't for weal or woe. 

Giln. — This well I know — thy loyalty is firm 
As yonder rock. 

Hagen. And if misfortune calls 

I'll fight for thee, and perish by thy side. [Exeunt. 

[Curtain falls . 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 39 



ACT II. 

Scene I.— A hall in Guniher's castle at Worms — Brun- 
hilda splendidly attired, enters hastily — Gunther fol- 
lows her. 

Brun. — Leave me, I say— I will remain no longer. 
Gun, — Thy conduct is most strange— the tourna- 
ment 
Is but half over — yet must be concluded 
When the queen leaves the Altan. 

Brun. Be it so — 

It shall be ended. 

Gun. Tell me what has chanced ; 

Say, who has ventured to offend the queen ? 

Brun. — What, dost thou mock me, that thou calPst 
me queen ? 
Since when has beggary been the royal lot ? 
I tell thee not a hundred combatants 
Fought in my colours, and at least three hundred 
Shone in thy sister Chriemhild's ! 

Giin. What of that ? 

Thou knowest the crowd will always seek the richest, 
And Siegfried's bridal gift may well afford 
My sister means to spend with lavish hand, 
Profusion's self could ne'er exhaust the treasure. 

Brufu — And as she can do this she's queen, not I. 
My head-gear only bears the diadem' sform, 
While her' s displays the splendour of a crown ; 



40 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Her jewell'd hair was radiant as the sun — 
Her glitt'ring robes were like the winter's sky 
When studded o'er with all its million stars, 
And ev'ry eye, like bees upon their queen, 
Hung upon her, and I was only seen 
Because I sat beside her, in the blaze 
Of her surpassing splendour ! I have ever 
Hated the moon because she decks her face 
With radiance borrow' d from the glorious sun, 
And now must be myself a moon— seen only 
When this same queenly sun deigns shine on me. 
Gun. — How can this anger thee ? 
Brun. How can it ? — What, 

By the great Asen, what should anger me ? 

Gun. — How call'st thou upon the heathen Gods ? 
Brun. — They were the deities of my happy youth ! 
Oh, have I sacrificed them for a faith 
I do not understand ! Have I resign' d 
The power and splendour of the diadem — 
Exchang'd the freedom of my virgin state ? 
For the degrading bondage of a wife, 
Only to yield my place unto another — 
Nor e'en be honour'd as the first of slaves ? 

Giin. — Nay, Brunhild, hear, my dearest wife, I 
tell thee 
That thou should' st go more frequently to mass — 
That this unbounded pride might be subdued. 
Whatever honours may be paid my sister, 
Thou still art queen. 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 41 

Brun. Queen, ay, an empty word, 

I bear the title, but Chriemhild is queen — 
'Tis she the courtiers and the crowd adore, 
All press into her service, and forget 
That I have given an heir to Burgundy, 
That I am mother to their future king ! 
Yes, yes, all press into your sister's service, 
For she can give three times as much as I : 
She is a native— I a foreigner ; 
Her face is far more beautiful than mine. 
What did I care for beauty when a free 
And virgin queen I rode the foaming main, 
And led my ships to wealth and victory. 
Why hast thou so completely pi under' d me, 
That I must now desire a worthless boon 
Like female beauty ! Did'st thou really love me, 
Oh, surely, thou would' st grant me in return 
For all thou'st robb'd me of, the empty comfort 
Of outward honours. [Hagen enters unperceived. 

Gun. Cease this vain contention, 

I'm weary of replying to complaints, 
Empty and countless as the very bubbles 
That rise upon the surface of the lake, 
When rain descends. What if the people love 
My sister more than thee ? whose is the blame ? 
The heart shrinks back from pride, e'en as the flowers 
Shrink from the northern blast. I love thee well, 
But I should love thee better, better far, 
Would'st thou but bridle this unbounded pride. 



42 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Brun. — And that I never will ! I am my pride ! 
I said beforehand that I never would ! 

Gun. — What can I do to please thee? 

Brun. That which thou 

Hast robbed me of, thou never can'st restore : 
I ne'er again can be the virgin queen, 
Who rode the waves upon her ocean steed — 
The spell is broken and the charm dissolved : 
But this thou yet may'st do. Let Siegfried leave 
Thy court and kingdom — 

Gun. What? my friend? I cannot — 

Ought else save this. 

Brun. I say send Siegfried hence 

That I may see thy sister's face no more. 

Gun. — To such wild fancies will I never yield. 

Hagen (advances). — Oh, grant her wish, my 
lord, 1 counsel it. 

Gun. — Thy counsel's bad : shall I deprive myself 
Of such a warrior, such a faithful friend, 
To gratify a woman's idle whim ? 

Hagen. — Yes, Prince, let seas and mountains 
separate 
Women who hate each other. 

Brun. Sea and mount 

Lie betwixt her and me! 

Gun. It may not be. 

Where is the warrior to be compared 
To him ? 'tis to his prowess that we owe 
The glorious termination of the war ; 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 43 

To him the ransom for the captive kings. 

Brun.— And tho' you ow'd the world to him, I say 
Bid him depart. 

Hag en. I have sustained with honour 

Full many a battle, and I envy not 
Another's fame — and frankly I'll confess 
That Siegfried is the bravest warrior 
That e'er my eyes beheld — and yet I say, 
Bid him depart. 

Gun. At this momentous hour ? 

Now, when the King of Denmark threatens war ? 
And when each day the Hungarian monarch's power 
Becomes more dread. 

Brun. Fear'st thou, when his arm 

No longer shields thee ? 

Hag en. Were we not victorious 

Before he came ? Why then should his departure 
Deprive us of all hopes of victory ? 

Giin. — How can the man say to the friend who 
serves him 
With love and with fidelity— depart ? 
How can the sovereign dismiss a man 
Who is himself a host ? and thus offend 
A Prince whose power is equal to his own ? 
'Twere very madness, and shall never be ! 

Brun. — This is thy love then, that to all my prayers 
A cruel " never" is thy sole reply. 
Thou spurn' st me thus, confiding in my weakness ; 
But know, 'tis easier far to shun the lion 



44 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Than scorpions, which lurk and sting in darkness. 

[Exit. 

Hagen. — Too true, too true — oh, hear me, noble lord. 

.Gun. — Silence ! thou ever must oppose my will. 

Hagen. — The faithful friend says oftener No 
than Yes, 
In his own matter every one is blind. 

Giin. — How then ! shall I confirm her in her pride, 
And shall a king be subject to his wife ? 

Hagen. — Nay, prudence urges thee to part with 
Siegfried. 
Afar, you may be friends — you cannot here. 
Believe me, Prince, where women hate each other 
Men's friendship rarely can remain unchanged, 
And what a secret lies within his breast. 

Giin. — For thirteen months he has preserved this 
secret 
Inviolate, — shall he betray it now ? 

Hagen. — Alas ! my sovereign, do not trust to this; 
E'en as no web is found without some flaw, 
Throughout consistent is no human life ! 
A moment comes when virtue's self gives way, 
And all the past is but an idle dream, [Exeunt. 



Scene II. — Enter Chriemhilda still more splen- 
didly drest than the Queen — and in her hand the 
girdle which Brunhilda wore in the first Act. 

Chriem. — This must I learn, I must, I must, and 
though 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 45 

[ should be forced to weep for three long years 
Both day and night, and never speak to him, 
And never look at him, except to shew 
A.n eye all red with weeping, yet at length, 
At length I'll make him tell me what it is ! 

Enter Siegfried. 

Good, Siegfried, that thou comest, I sought for thee — 
[Siegfried, taking her in his arms, 
Sieg. — Ay, that is kind, my love, to seek for me, 
My eyes have likewise sought thee, dearest one, 
And sought thee only at the tournament. 

[Looks at her. 
Methinks thou'rt lovelier than thy wont to-day, 
I never saw thee look more beautiful. 
Yes, if a stranger were to see thee now, 
He'd surely ask, who is the lovely maid? 

[Chriemhilda, withdrawing from his arms. 
Chriem. — Enough of this : pray leave my beauty 
now, 
And tell me — what is this ? 

Sieg. Ha ! how comes that, 

Chriemhilda, in thine hand ? [Snatches at it. 

Nay— give it me! 
Chriem. — Only with life. Now tell me what it is ? 
Ha! know'st thou not — hast thou in thine alarm 
Forgotten what 'tis called? I'll tell thee, then, 
It is a woman's girdle. Seeking trinkets 
Among thy caskets, there I found it hid — 
Yes, carefully conceal' d, as one is wont 



46 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

To hide one's dearest treasure. Now then, speak, 
Where did'st thou get it from ? 

Sieg. How should I know ? — 

It may belong to the Niebelungen treasures. 

Chriem. — How came a woman's girdle in the 
treasure ? — 
I see it has been worn, and likewise see 
That violence has torn it from the wearer, — 
For look ! the silver clasp is bent and broken, — 
The silken band is nearly rent in twain. 
Oh, woe's me that I have wedded one, 
"Who, when he sees my love so deeply wounded, 
Instead of striving to assuage the pain 
With truth's soft balsam, only adds a pang 
To suffering, by the poison of deceit— 
Oh ! why did I confide in such a man ? 

[Siegfreid, again clasping her in his arms. 
Sieg. — Nay, think no more about it, dearest love. 
Oh, why torment thyself for such a trifle — 
What then, if it belong not to the treasure ? 
See ! when we warriors go upon adventures 
We meet with many a fair and gentle maid, — 
And then, on our departure, why we take 
Some token of remembrance- — as a ring, 
A clasp, a bracelet, or a lock of hair — 
And thus it ofttimes chanced to me, my love, 
Ere I beheld, and chose thee as my bride. 

[Chriemhilda, disengaging herself from his arms. 
Chriem. — Another falsehood added to the rest — 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 47 

No ! had this girdle been a simple keepsake, 

When I became thy bride, thou faithless one, 

Thou had'st not guarded it so carefully. 

No ! thou had'st thrown the bauble quite away, 

Or else, had'st given it me ! ah, well thou know'st 

With what delight the tender wife accepts 

These pleasing tributes from a husband's hand, — 

Trophies of former loves for her resign' d. 

Hast thou not given me many a golden ring, 

And many a bracelet, many a costly gem ? 

Why not the girdle too, thou faithless man ? 

Sieg.— Why not — I do not know— I might indeed. 
Chriem. — No, hypocrite ! my happiness is o'er ; 
How could I be so foolish as to dream 
Love was an evergreen, that ne'er could fade ? 
Alas, it has but bloom'd a single year ! 
'Tis but a little while, and yet too long 
For man's affection — woe is me, the dream 
Of peace and joy is fled, and bitter grief 
Succeeds — oh, woe is me ! 

[Siegfried approaches her. 
Sieg. Nay, Chriemhild, nay ! 

Thy words are foolish as thy form is fair — 
I love thee — thee alone — and never, never 
Have loved thee more than now — I swear it thee ! 

[Chriemhild a, turning from him. 
Chriem. — Away ! men's oaths are like the tints of 
morn 
Which oft allure us to the open air, 



48 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Only to drench us with a sudden shower. 
Ah ! well I know why thou disdain' st me now, 
'Tis that I've given thee a son, and thus 
My blooming beauty's faded in thine eyes. 

[bursts into tears. 
I shall be henceforth but a handmaid— she 
Alone is mistress whom her husband loves. 

[Siegfried, clasping her in his arms. 

Sieg. — Fie, Chriemhild, do not weep ! were they 
to see thee 
With weeping eyes, what would the people say ? 
Thou'rt dear to me ; and ten times dearer now 
That thou hast given me a lovely boy, 
And thou art blooming as a glorious spring 
Blooms upon earth. — Come, dearest, cease to weep, 
Love ever beams so sweetly from thine eye ; 
But if that beauteous eye be dimm'd with tears, 
How can I see thy love ? Come, dearest, come, 
And let me dry thy tears — nay, weep no more. 

[dries her tears. 

Chriem. (caressing him.) — But thou wilt tell me 
whose the girdle is ? 

Sieg. — I will, if thou can'st promise secrecy, 
For I confide my honour to thy tongue. 

Chriem. — I can, indeed I can ! I am no babbler, 
Who, when the rage of talking seizes her 
No longer thinks of heaven, nor of hell. 
Now tell me, dearest, whose the girdle was ? 

Sieg.— Well, then, I fought with Brunhild for thy 
brother, 



THE NIEBELTJNGEN TREASURE. 49 

And through the power of a magic cap, 

Invisible I threw the stone for him, 

And hurl'd the lance, and shot the arrow too. 

One combat still remain' d— he was to rob 

The haughty virgin of the magic girdle — 

The source of all her giant strength, ere she 

Would be his bride, in this I aided him ; 

When 'twas accomplished — vanish' d all her strength, 

And she submitted to become his wife. 

Chriem. — Well, well — 'twas very strange she did 
not know 
That 'twas with two she fought, 'twas wondrous strange, 
I'll swear you were alone — were quite alone. 

Sieg. — I tell thee no, let me not say it again. 

Chriem. — Well, well, I know, I know what I shall 
think! 

Sieg. — Thou shalt think nothing, silentshalt thoube, 
I feel my passion rising, and thou know'st 
My anger never boded well for thee. 
So now be silent, and restore the girdle. 

Chriem. — Nay, let me keep it, love, or I shall think 
Thou prizest it for the sake of her who wore it. 

Sieg. — Ay, by the heathen deities I could swear 
A man must love his wife more than himself 
To bear such folly. 

Chriem. Do not chide me, sweet, 

Our errors only spring from too much love ; 
And as our very weakness springs from love, 
And Nature so has formed us, why, 'tis she 

E 



50 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Who has ordained that we should be thus weak. 
Tell me, my heart's love, I may keep the girdle ? 

Sieg. — Well, keep it, silly woman — but be silent. 
I promised Giinther secrecy, my honour 
And his domestic peace are both at stake. 

Chriem. — Why needest thou enjoin me secresy ? 
I should be silent, dearest, for thy sake, 
And for my brother's, ay, for Brunhild's too. 
I cannot love, but yet I pity her, 
She never could survive it, did she learn 
How she has been deceived. 

Sieg. Thou speakest well. 

Continue ever wisely thus inclined. 
But leave me now, the bell will ring for mass, 
And I will follow with thy brother — go. 

Chriem. — Adieu, my dearest then, and many thanks, 
Thou art so kind, oh, ne'er was woman blest 
With such a lord ! Adieu ! [Exit. 

Sieg. She begg'd so sweetly, 

Oh, how could I withstand her soft entreaty. [Exit. 



Scene III. — An open place at Worms, in the background 
a Minster, while the bell is sounding for mass, the 
people and nobles assemble ; among the latter are 
Hagen ; Volker, and Dank wart. The nobles 
arrange themselves in two opposite tows, the people 
stand below. 

Enter Brunhild a and Chriemhilda ivith their 
ladies. Chriemhilda is somewhat before Brun- 
hild a, so that she would first enter the Minster. 






THE XIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 51 

Brun. — Why in such haste, Chriemhilda ? do not 
dare 
To enter first the minster's walls. [Chriemhilda stojps. 

Chriem. And why 

Should I not enter first ? were it a crime ? 

Brun, — How now? wilt thou dispute the precedence? 

Chriem. — Dispute it? No: but kinswomen methinks 
Should not contend the point. 

Brun. No, haughty dame ? 

What ! must I rob myself of every right, 
For thee to deck thyself withal ? 

Chriem. I need 

No gifts of thine for my adornment. 

Brun. No — ? 

Thou art so rich, forsooth, ha ! meanest thou thus ? 
Thou load'st thyself with gold and precious gems, 
Just like a sumpter horse, vain, foolish woman ! 

Chriem. — Why dost thou chide me ? why art thou 
incens'd ? 
No — no — God knows I am not proud — I would 
Have waited for thee at the minster's gates 
That thou might'st take the precedence — of course 
I would concede it, for thou art the elder. 

Brun. — Ay, ay, and the less lovely thou would'st 
say ! 
It is not to the elder, but the higher 
That thou must yield, — I still am Queen — thij head- 
gear 
May be a tower of diamonds and pearls, 



52 THE NIEBELTJNGEN TREASURE. 

But yet it is no diadem like mine. 

Chriem. — And I one day shall likewise wear a 
crown. 

Brun. — Thou wilt not be mine equal, even then, 
For even as a virgin I was queen ; — 
My mighty arm was dreaded far and wide. 

Chriem. — Not what thou hast been, — but what 
now thou art 
Weighs in the balance. 

Brun. Mine is heavier still, 

The bravest warrior's consort ranks the first. 

Chriem. The bravest? [« moment's pause. 

Let us drop this theme, — I know 
Who would not gain by the comparison ! 

Brun. — Who would not gain ? tell me, who would 
not gain, 
Thou silly woman ? how ! would'st thou compare 
Thy husband unto mine ? 

Chriem. Compare him, ay ! 

Brun.— -Ha! 

Chriem. I revere my brother as I ought, 

But Siegfried's an unrivall'd warrior. 

Brun. — Art thou so proud that in the fight for 
thee, 
He slew a helpless monster 1 what of that ? 
Why I was dreaded on the mighty main, 
I was the terror of surrounding lands, 
My body was endued with giant strength, 
And more than human courage fired my soul — 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 53 

Beneath my arm the bravest warriors fell, 
And yet King Giinther vanquished even me, — 
And this a hero only could achieve ! 

Chriem. — I doubt not Siegfried could have done 
it too — 

Brun.~— Out on thee, silly woman ! dost presume 
To prate of war, who knowest nothing, save 
To throw the shuttle, and to weave the thread ! 
He conquer me, indeed ! He had not e'en 
Courage enough to view the fight — he stay'd 
Trembling upon the beach to guard the ships ! 
Ah ! if he had but ventured in the lists ! 
I tell thee that the weakest of my maids 
Had chased him with her distaff from the ground, 
And how should such a coward have subdu d 
Brunhild ? 

Chriem. And yet 'twas he, and not the king, — 
He stood invisible behind my brother ; 
He shot the arrow, hurl'd the stone, and threw 
The spear — if he's a coward, then a coward 
Subdued the mighty heroine Brunhilda ! 

Brun. — Audacious woman! liar, shameless liar! 
Oh, may the forked lightning cleave the tongue 
That dares to utter falsehoods such as these. 

Chriem. — A bar ! I ? speak, wicked heathen woman, 
Who was't subdued thee in the dead of night ? 

Brun. — What mean'st thou, shameless one ? It 
was the king ! 

Chriem. — Ha! ha! the king! the king! — see'st 
thou this girdle ? 



54 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE, 

Whose is the girdle, which my dearest lord 

Won from a maiden at the midnight hour ! 

Thine is the girdle, thine — and Siegfried 'twas 

Who won it from thee, ay — and won thee too — 

And tell me now, who has the bravest lord ? 

Dare I presume to take the precedence 1 [Exit. 

Hagen. — Where is the king? hasten and tell the 
king. [Dankwart goes to the right. 

Volker. — Methinks that clouds are gathering o'er 
the sky, 
Which bode a dark and fearful storm ere long. 

Brun. — What sayest thou, blind one, the storm 
begins to rise ? 
Thou see'st not the clouds of fire, the darkening skies, 
Thou mark'st not the thunder's loud and fearful crash, 
The wind's wild howl and the lightning's lurid flash. 
'Tis the Wallkurens on steeds from the boiling flood, 
They scream and shriek together — blood, blood, blood ! 
Ha ! ha ! a joyous sound ! 

[Enter Gunther, Siegfried, &c. 

Hagen. They come — 

Now then, my lord, you may enquire yourself, 
If I have brought you false intelligence. 

Gun. — How could this chance ? 

Brun. — (who has hitherto stood silent with rage.) 
How ? nothing new has chanced, 
'Tis only that the Gods have brought to light 
Your treachery and deceit. Ah ! ye are villains ! 
'Twas through your shameful artifice I lost 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 00 

My crown and freedom, lost them to become 
A wretched coward's wife ; now I'm dishonoured, 
So overwhelmed with shame, that whatsoe'er 
Enhales my breath, becomes dishonour'd too. 

Giln,— Peace, lady, peace ! 'Tis now our turn to 
speak. 
Siegfried, how is't thou hast not only broken 
A sacred oath, and hast betray' d a secret, 
Which thou did'st swear to keep inviolate. 
But worse than this, hast dared to add a tale, 
A He ! which stains my honour and my name. 

Sieg. — I'm sorry for it — but deny I cannot, 
I own'd that I had fought and conquer' d for thee. 
Where was the harm, then ? In affairs of love 
We know that stratagem's allowable, 
And many a maid's been won by it ere now ; 
But more I did not, for I could not say. 

Gun. — But Lady Chriemhild did ! 

Sieg, She fancied it. 

A woman's silly fancy — call her here. 

Brun. — I want no witness — I will have revenge. 

Gilnther (to Siegfried.) — I cannot yet believe that 
thou hast stain' d 
With lies like these the honour of thy friend, 
But if thou hast thou shalt abide it dearly. 

[Chkiemhilda comes from the Minster — 
approaches trembling. 

Sieg. (to Chriemhild a.) Come nearer wife ! come, 
gallant heroine ! 



56 THE NIEBELTJNGEN TREASURE. 

What hast thou done ? 

Chriem. {extending her hand to him.) — Forgive me, 
dearest one, 
Believe me, she provok'd me past endurance ; 
She loaded thee with insult —called thee coward. 

Sieg. — And what then, if she did ? thou art not paid 
To be my champion — coward, did'st tbou say ? 
I were indeed a coward did I need 
My wife's tongue to defend me — fie on thee ! 
But now confess the truth, did I e'er tell thee 
That I had won Brunhilda's favour ? 

Chriem. No — 

Thou did'st not tell me so — 1 fancied it. 

JBrun.— Ay the slave speaks in favour of her lord. 
I'll have no witness — I demand revenge . 

Sieg. — If you will not believe my w r ord, behold — 
I raise my hand tow'rds heaven, and well I know 
The hand upheld as witness of an oath, 
Is by some unseen power seized and grasp'd — 
Yet fearlessly I raise my hand to heaven, 
And swear I never spoke this shameless lie — 

Gun. — Well, I believe thee. 

Sieg. Then believe this too, 

That if we don't keep women in subjection 
They'll banish peace and quiet from the world. 
Punish thy wife and I will punish mine, 
And teach her such a lesson that she ne'er 
Again will thus disturb our peace and love, 
With woman's idle words and jealous dreams. 



THE XIEBELTTXGEX TREASURE. 57 

Giln. — Leave off contention — let us go to mass — 
And there beseech th' Almighty to infuse 
Love and forgiveness in our angry hearts. 

Brun. — No ! I will pray no longer to your Gods, 
They sanction treachery, falsehood, and deceit, 
Else surely they would send down fire from heaven 
Upon this house, — th' abode of hypocrites. 
Or, if they ever punish them, at least 
Their justice is too long delayed for me. 
What ! shall I die ere I obtain revenge ? 
To Gods who thus deny the vengeance due — 
To Gods like yours I will no longer pray ! 

[She rushes from the scene — QxjlSTB.is.'b, follows her — - 
the nobles and people gradually disperse, till none 
remain on the stage but Siegfried and Chriem- 
hilda. 

Sieg. — Hear'st thou the blasphemy ? that is thy work. 

Chriem. — Her insults forced the secret from my lips ; 
Why did'st thou aid my brother then, to bring 
rhis heathen women to a christian house ? 

Sieg. — I'll tell thee that at home — now, come with me. 

Chriem. — But thou wilt beat me — 

Sieg. Ay, ay, I will teach thee 

r*o keep thy pretty teeth fast clos'd in future — 
When e'er a mind for babbling seizes thee. 

Chriem. — Oh ! dearest husband, wilt thou hurt the wife 
3o lately thy delight and love. No, no, 
Forgive me — it shall never chance again. 



58 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Sieg.— Only, come home. 

Chriem. Ay dearest, let us home ! 

Thou hast not seen thy little one to-day, 
And never, never, did it look so fair, 
Oh, when it smiles, methinks I gaze on thee ! 

Sieg. — Oh, yes ! it's smile is lovely — just like thine. 

Chriem. —Ay, but its eyes are thine— those deep blue 
eyes, 

Sieg. — But otherwise, it is it's mother's image. 

Chriem. — It will be strong and valiant as its sire. 

[She embraces and draws him off the stage with her. 



Scene IV. — An Apartment in the Palace.— Brunhilda, 
Gunther, Hagen, Volker, and Dankwart, enter. 

Brun. {calmly,) No more, no more of reconcilia- 
tion. 
I tell thee every word that does not breathe 
Of vengeance and of blood, rings in my ears 
Like the vain tinkling of a cap and bells ! 
You well know what has chanc'd — 'twas in the face 
Of the assembled multitude that I 
Was taunted as the wife of both these men. 
Compared to my disgrace, the deepest shame 
That ever was, becomes a robe of honour — 
And now consult, not if— for that's resolv'd, 
Not if—- but how — I can obtain revenge. 

Gun. — How can we, if thou wilt not curb thy fury, 
And let us speak at least and weigh the matter ? 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 59 

Brun.— My fury — there thou errest, I now am cold 
As iron hardened in the winter's frost. 
Enough — there shall not live on earth two men 
Who've dared to lay their hands upon this form ! 
Though sword and bow be placed beyond my reach, 
Death is a friend that ne'er denies its aid ; 
Swift it obeys the sigual, or the glance — 
And if I cannot send its bolt afar, 
Near me at least it will attend my call. 

Gun.— Heed not her words, my nobles, counsel me. 
A monarch must not let the voice of honour, 
No, nor the impulse of his heart alone 
Direct his purpose — he must likewise weigh, 
What best may serve the land o'er which he rules. 
(To the nobles.) Speak, dare I rest content with 
Siegfried's oath? 

Volkers. — You may, an oath is sacred — he alone, 
Who is himself conscious of perjury, 
Distrusts the sacred pledge — what has a king 
To guarantee his kingdom, save an oath ? 
Hence — most of all — should he confide in it. 
And is a warrior's oath to be regarded 
Less than an angry woman's idle words ? 
Hagen. — Ay, but the peoplewill believe thosewords. 

Volker. — Whate'er a monarch do, the multitude, 
Envying his regal state, are ever prone 
To think the worst of him, but then his throne 
Stands far above them, the tumultuous waves 
Of popular opinion cannot reach him. 



60 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Bank. — This is my counsel, likewise. Yes, the 
king 
May rest contented with Prince Siegfried's oath, 
If, in a consecrated spot, he'll swear 
It once again upon the sacrament. 

Brun. — And what avails an oath sworn hy those 
Gods, 
Whom you insult by treachery and falsehood ? 
No — he who will deceive his fellow-men, 
He will not scruple to deceive the Gods. 
Hence with the oath : 'tis blood that I demand. 

Hagen. — And I say blood, yes, blood — thou noble 
Volker, 
Albeit my friend, may'st differ from me here, 
For thou art not the monarch's man— I am, 
It is my king — my sole, my sovereign lord, 
Whose honour has been injured and aspersed, 
Nor injured only — wounded mortally, 
In the opinion of the multitude. 
For 'tis on their opinion, not on truth, 
That honour doth depend. When I reflect 
My sovereign hath become the scorn of men, 
The laugh of women — I should deem myself 
A traitor, could I counsel aught but blood. 
Yes, the king's honour calls for Siegfried's death. 

Brun. — Oh, noble warrior! Gunther wears the 
crown, 
But thou'st the heart and spirit of a king. 

Folker.—Wheit ! shall one thoughtless inconside- 
rate word, 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 61 

Or the invention of a jealous woman, 
Condemn a man like Siegfried unto death ? 
Did not the king himself demand the service, 
The source of all this mischief? and shall Siegfried 
Now pay the penalty — fie on the thought, 
An evil deed. 

Dankwart. It cannot work us good. 

Hag en. — An evil deed, and it may bring us ill ; 
This I confess ! for all too well I know 
No grave is deep enough for human blood. 

VolJcer. — Yet he must die ? 

Hagen. He must — for when the column 

Of honour once is broken, no cement 
Save blood can re-unite the shatter' d fragments ; 
And if we let him live, 'twill be believed, 
We fear that heaven might avenge his death, 
As he but spoke the truth — No, I will slay him. 
'Tis said one spot of his heroic form 
Is vulnerable. It is enough, my zeal 
Will point me out that spot ! 

Giln. No, Hagen, no ! 

I will not hear of counsel such as this. 
• What ! shall his love for me become his snare ? 
There's not one drop of blood in all his veins, 
But he would gladly, gladly shed for me ? 
And shall I basely spill that noble blood ? 
Who would not seek a home 'mid forest wilds, 
If such a man as Siegfried could not dwell 
In peace and safety mid his fellow-men ? 
How can a monarch prize the worthless honour, 



62 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

That must be purchased at so vile a price ? 
Devise some other plan ! he shall not die ! 

Hag en. — I'll kill him still! Thine honour will sur- 
vive thee, 
And that I prize more dearly than thyself ! 
When death shall rob thee of thy diadem, 
Think not it will descend unto thy son. 
No, no — when he shall call his vassals round him, 
To swear allegiance, and to crown him king, 
The blush of shame will crimson in their cheeks. 
Thank God ! I shall not live to see that day. 
Away ! they'll cry, with the audacious boy, 
Who fain would be a king, and is a bastard ! 

[The men start back with horror. 
Brunhilda springs up. 
Brun. — A bastard's mother! curses on the thought ! 
'Mid all my sufferings, 'twas my comfort still 
To feel that 'twas a monarch I should bring 
Into the world ! And now, all this for nought ? 
No — wash away this frightful stain with blood! 
Or I will cast him in the boiling w T aves, 
Dash him in pieces, tear his limbs asunder, — 
I will not have a bastard for a son ! 

[Gunther, with deep emotion turning away. 
Gun. — Ah ! he is lost ! 

[Volker and Dankwart step back. 
No means to save him left. 
Brun. (to Hag en.) — And thou wilt slay him. 
Hag en. — Ay ! that have I sworn. 

[The curtain falls. 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 63 

ACT III. 

Scexe I. — An apartment of Chriemhilda? s in the palace. 
Enter Chrie^ihtlda and Hagen. 

Chriem. — The king of Saxony, whom my dear lord 
Took prisoner ? 

Hag en. Ay, fair queen, the very hand 

Which signed the hond of amity and peace 
With his brave victor, he has now extended 
To Denmark's sovereign, in league against us. 

Chriem. — Oh faithless traitor, thus to break the oath 
He had so lately sworn ! and now, then, both, 
By treachery united, march against us? 

Hagen. — E'en so, fair queen, a desperate conflict 
waits us ; 
Ne'er have the knights of Burgundy engaged 
In sterner warfare : many a happy wife 
Will mourn in widow's weeds, and many a maid 
Fade on the stalk in virgin loneliness, 
Sad victims of this stern and bloody war. 

Chriem. — Oh, heavens ! so mighty is the enemy I 
Hagen. — They are, but whatof that ? if victory cost 
Ten times more blood, it would be surely ours ; 
For never yet did royal army boast 
So many gallant warriors as our own : 
And, first of all, I rank thy noble lord. 
Oh, could s t thou only see him in the fight ! 
Light as the tiger springs upon his prey. 
He rushes on the foe — and as the plough 



64 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Furrows the field, he opens him a path 
Amid the hostile ranks ; while far on high 
Flashes the lightning of his conquering sword ! 
He ever seeks the fiercest of the foe ; 
As little heeds the furious troops around, 
As though they were a swarm of summer gnats, 
And cares not if, hemm'd in on every side, 
The foe is maddening both in front and rear. 

Chriem. — Alas ! why did I choose a lord like this, 
So fierce, so wild, and so untameable ? 
Oh ! he will cause me bitter sorrow yet ! 

Hagen. — What can he fear ? he is invulnerable. 

Chriem. — Oh, would to heaven he were ! 

Hagen. So then 'tis true 

One spot of that bold form is vulnerable ? 
Oh, then, he oft must need a friend's protection. 

Chriem. — Oh, gallant Hagen! tried and fearless 
warrior ! 
Be thou my noble husband's guard and shield, 
For well thou canst ; who better know'st than thou, 
Each turn and each manoeuvre of the fight ; 
Advance, retreat, and every art of war ? 
Yes, thou wert ever famed as first in arms, 
Ere Siegfried cast all others into shade. 
Let him not wildly plunge amid the tide 
Of battle, as the mountain torrent pours 
Its foaming waters blindly through the glen, 
Towards the abyss that swallows them for ever ! 
And canst thou not restrain his martial soul ? 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 



65 



At least remain beside him— look around, 
Mark where the flying arrow threatens death, 
Then let thy trusty buckler guard my lord. 
Oh, thou may'st count upon my gratitude, 
My warmest grace and favour, in return. 

Hagen. — How gladly, queen, will I fulfil the task. 
I never have beheld— and yet have seen 
Much both of men and nations — yet I ne'er 
Have seen a warrior like thy noble lord. 
In courage, strength, and every manly grace, 
Whom better too may it beseem than me ? 
He is thy dearest lord, and thou art sister 
To royal Giinther, my beloved king, 
But he who would defend a fort must learn 
Its weakest side, that there he may collect 
His choicest force to guard it : — did I know 
The spot, I swear no foe should ever harm him. 
But I presume thou know'st it not thyself ? 

Chriem. — Yes, he has told me, where the shoulder 
blades 
Approach most closely, lay a linden leaf, 
When in the dragons gore he steep' d himself; 
Oh, guard him there, and keep this secret well. 

Hagen. — Yes, queen, I will deserve thy confidence, 
Thy secret ne'er shall pass these faithful lips; 
I swear it, lady, by my hopes of heaven. 
But now must I away ! oh, may'st thou, 
As thou hast said, still show me grace and favour, 

Chriem. — As thou deservest, such shall be thy meed, 



66 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

And may the Lord of all protect and guard thee. 

[Exit Hagen. 

[Chriem hilda remains some time lost in thought. 

Chriem. —Alas ! alas ! did I do well to tell him ! 
It was forhidden me — but he will guard him ; 
I cannot mingle in the tide of war, 
Yet there is all I love, my life, my soul ; 
Should I not seek for some one to protect him ? 
And yet I would I had not trusted him, 
I now begin to think he only came 
To wrest my secret from me — Can it be ? 
He is king Giinther's best and dearest friend, 
My brother's heart is all estranged from me, 
The Queen detests us both : — what if my fears — 
Ah me ! and last night's wild and hideous dreams, 
Could I forget them ? oh, what shall I do ? 
[As she is about to go to the right, Siegfried enters. 

Chriem. — Thou comest — 

Sieg. From our little one to thee. 

When one has fondled and caress' d the child, 
One fain would see and kiss the mother too ! 

[Embracing her. 

Chriem. — Ah, no, thou comest to bid a last farewell! 

Sieg. — Why, truly, dearest, we must part ere long. 

Chriem. — Oh, cruel man, did'st thou notpromise me 
To lead me to thy father's court? and now 
Thou tempt' st again the uncertain fate of war. 

Sieg. — Can I excuse me, love, when dangers threaten 
To o'erwhelm thy brother and his royal house ? 



THE N1EBELTJNGEN TREASURE. 0/ 

No, friendship, honour call me to the field ; 
Thou would' st not have me now desert his side ; 
But fear not, dearest love ! I will subdue 
The hostile monarchs, even as last year, 
And then I'll lead thee to my native land. 

Chriem. — Rem ain at home ! this once remain at home ! 
I tremble so, I never trembled thus — 
When thou did'st leave me for the fight — oh stay, 
This once, at home ! 

Sieg. Thy brother has my word, 

And as the dog obeys his master's call, 
The man of honour must obey his word. 

Chriem. — 'Tis not alone my sad presentiment, 
But evil dreams have warned me too ! Methought 
I saw thee rambling in thy favourite dell, 
When all at once two mountains seem'd to fall, 
And crush thee 'neath their weight. 

Sieg. Indeed, indeed ! 

A mightier monument I could not wish. 

Chriem. —Oh, do not jest, my love ! I dreamt again, 
And lo ! I saw thee flying o'er the field, 
Two savage bears pursued thee, and where'er 
Thy footsteps trod, methought the flowers grew red. 
At length thou seem'dst to vanish from my sight 
In mist — and then I wept so bitterly. 

Sieg. — If one could read futurity in dreams 
One would be wiser sleeping than awake ! 

Chriem. — I feel, I know — that if thou leav'st me 
now, 



68 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

I never, never shall behold thee more ! 

Sieg. — Nay, calm thee, dearest one, my word is given. 

Chriem. — 'Tis not thy promise/ tis thy love of strife, 
That leads thee to the wars. 

Sieg. And though the seed, 

While yet within the bosom of the earth, 
Could know that frost and hail would blast its growth, 
Still 'twould shoot forth, for such the will of God, 
When he created it. 

Chriem. Ah ! dearest, think ! 

Think of the falcon, — of the prophecy 
Of thine untimely death. 

Sieg. I do remember, 

But if it must be, how can I escape ? 
There was a man whose death had been foretold 
At an appointed hour, o'erwhelmed with fear 
He stopp'd the hour-glass : what avail'd it him— 
Nothing, altho' the sand no longer ran 
Yet came the hour when he was doom'd to die. 
Have I not stood the risk of many a fight, 
And has a single hair of mine been injur'd? 

Chriem.— Does danger only threaten thee from those 
Whom thou encounterest in the battle field ? 
Do we not often wander hand in hand 
With our most deadly foes ? Are there not men 
E'en at this very court who deeply hate us ? 
Though secret, yet their bitter enmity 
Is far more terrible than open rage — 
Oh, dearest if — 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 69 

Sieg. Yes, if the stars should fall 

Like hailstones on this earth of ours ? why then 
I should indeed be lost ! fie on thee, Chriemhild ! 
To deem thus hardly of thy nearest kin : 
The silly quarrel has been long forgot. 

Chrie?n. — Oh, do not chide me ! if thou leav'st me 
now, 
I feel I never shall behold thee more. 
Thou dost not love me! No ! thou canst not love 
Thy wife, thine infant ! — Love is ever knit 
With mercy and compassion ! Oh, my lord ! 
Remember I've no father and no mother ! 
My royal brother's heart is quite estranged, 
To me thou 9 it fat her, mother, brother, — all — 
And if bereft of thee, my only friend ! 
I am bereft indeed ! Ah, dearest, think 
Upon our boy, how gloriously he blooms ! 
Will he not fade and wither like a flower 
That droops for want of rain— when thou art gone, 
Ah, who shall teach his hand to hurl the lance, 
To wield the sword, to curb the fiery steed, 
To fight or conquer ; should his father fall, 
Who will protect him — who will then uphold 
His right to the paternal diadem ? 
Oh, no one ! no one ! 

Sieg. If it be the will 

Of heaven to take me from you, dearest one, 
Be sure that he'll provide you other friends ; 
Our infant's rights will live in many a heart. 



70 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

For innocence and justice find a friend 
In every human breast. 

Chriem. Ah ! cruel man ! 

I feel, and see, and hear thou lovest us not, 
For did'st thou, thou would' st surely wish to live, 
The earth we tread would then be dear to thee. 

Sieg. — If it may be, my love, I'd gladly live ! 
My strength of arm and mind are unimpair'd, 
And never is there lack of work for both. 
I fain would live, for I am happy here ! 
Yes, there are lofty mountains on God's earth, 
There grow majestic oaks, and golden vines, 
In the deep valley flows the silvery stream, 
Where one can rest beneath the cooling shade, 
Or lave one's limbs in the delicious wave ; 
In dell and greenwood sing the merry birds, 
And in the meadows ramble lovely maids, 
Beauteous as flowers, and slender as the pine. 

[takes her in his arms, and kisses her. 
And I have won the fairest of these flowers ; 
And this sweet flower hath given me beauteous fruit ; 
But if the Almighty call to me and say, 
Thou hast played long enough in this my garden : — 
Shall I then murmur like a pettish boy ? 
Thou art a christian woman, tell me, love ? 
Chriem. (with deep emotion.) — Oh, thou 
should'st live for many centuries, 
For there are none so pious and so good ! 

Sieg. — I'm not the first, nor shall I be the last. 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 71 

Farewell, my only love ! 

Chriem. Oh heavens, so soon ? 

Sieg. — Nay, dearest, nay ! what matters it an hour 

Sooner or later? If I ne'er return — 

See how thv terrors have infected me — 
■> 

But let me on ; if I should ne'er return, 
Thou first may's t mourn me like a faithful wife ; 
Then, look upon thy hoy, and dry thy tears 
Like a good mother ! go to Siegmund's court, 
Give him his grandson, he will cherish him. 
And thou, my love, I know, I feel assured 
That thou wilt never shame my memory, 
Nor heap disgrace upon our infant's head, 
By wedding, though still young, a second lord. 

Chriem. — May God forsake me if I ever do ! 
Why dost thou pierce my bosom with this sting 
At parting ? cruel, do I merit it 1 

Sieg. — Forgive me, sweet, 'twas but a passing 
thought, 
A word may surely be allowed to love : 
And now, farewell ! 

Chriem. Ah ! canst thou not remain ? 

Sieg. — It may not be : beloved wife, farewell ! 
God guard you both, adieu ! 

Chriem. (on his breast.) — Farewell, my heart ! 
My love ! my joy ! my only earthly hope ! 
My husband, my adored, farewell ! farewell ! 

Sieg. — Once more adieu, my own, my only love 

[Kisses her, and goes. 



72 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Chriem. (following him.) — Ah, dearest Siegfried, 
say, hast thou forgiven 
All mine offences towards thee ? 

Sieg. (turns back.) All, sweet wife ! 

All from my very heart ; who should forgive, 
If love refuse to pardon ? 

Chriem. — Then, farewell ! [weeps. 

Sieg. — Nay, calm thee, dearest one ; thy grief 
will cloud 
Our blooming infant's merriment ; adieu ! 

Chriem. (follows him) — No, we shall surely meet 
again ! 

[He turns hack, and takes her in his arms. 
Chriem. We must, 

Must meet again : thou' It think on wife and child. 
That thought will curb thy rashness, teach thee 

prudence ; 
And we shall meet before this widow' d heart 
Is broken with despair. 

Sieg. Nay, do not fear : 

Farewell, beloved one ! we shall meet again. 

[Exit, hastily. 
Chriem. — Oh, I shall never, never see him more ! 
Bring me my widow's robes ; lama widow : 
Oh, let my maids prepare my mourning garb. 
Yes, I will shroud my form in deepest night, 
'Till I embrace my best beloved again, 

And drops of joy replace these burning tears. 

[Exit. 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 16 

Scene II. — An open place in the wood. To the left, a 
rivulet Jlows from the rock and falls into a chasm of the 
same. Hunting music is heard in the distance : then 
enter Gunther and Hagen in armour, and Brun- 
hild a in huntress' garb. 

Hag en. — This, monarch, is the spot which I have 
chosen ; 
Here will I wash thine honour in the blood 
Of him who dared asperse it, 'till 'tis white 
As virgin snow. 

Bran. Wilt thou fulfil thine oath, 

Thy solemn oath ? 

Hag en. I will fulfil it, queen. 

All is examined, ordered, and prepared ; 
'Tis not in vain that I, for three long months, 
Have waited for this war ; 'tis not in vain 
That I propose this chase — 'tis not in vain 
This crystal brook flows from its rocky bed. 
Here will he come. I named this as the place 
Of rendezvous. He'll come and find me here. 

Brun — Thy head shall answer for the execution 
Of thy design ! 

Hag en. I never pledged my head ; 

Nay, more, the pledge would then avail thee nothing, 
For if I fail, be sure that he will not. 

Giin. — Oh, fatal day ! and must I see myself 
Compell'd to lose the noblest, best of friends? 
Ah ! the most faithful and devoted follower 
That ever blest a sovereign ! 



74 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Brun. Dastard king ! 

Does it repent thee, coward, that for once 
Thou hast decided like a prince and man ? 

Hagen. — Once didst thou freely choose ; I warn'd 
thee then ; 
With thine own royal will didst thou decide, 
And didst incur the baneful penalty : 
Now hast thou no alternative, no choice ! 
Necessity commands the fatal deed. 

Brun, — Oh, strike him ! strike him ! as he struck 
my honour. 

Hagen. — Tear not, my project will succeed ! Success 
Ever attends the just and righteous deed : 
And mine is just ; of that I feel assured ! 
But now permit me to remain alone ; 
He will be here ere long, and solitude 
Is needful for my purpose. Go ! the horn 
Shall call you when the noble game has fallen ! 

Brun. — Yes, gladly we'll withdraw, and let us soon 
Hear the glad summons of the bugle note ! 

[Exeunt Gunther and Brunhilda. 

Hagen. — Yes ! w T hile he unsuspectingly pursues 
The chase, the hunter lies in wait for him ! 
While the judge sits in judgment, even then, 
Perchance, his sovereign speaks his earthly doom ; 
E'en while the warrior whets his trusty steel, 
Another sword is sharpened for his breast ; 
And while the architect erects the house, 
His last abode may stand prepared for him ! 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. /O 

The future is a closed and sealed book; 

The present hour only is our own — 

I hear a footstep through the wood — 'tis he. 

[He seats himself on the rock. 
Enter Siegfried, armed with sword, spear, and how, 
but without armour. 
Sieg. — So there thou art, but all is silent here ; 
Where is the hunting train ? 

Hag en. I do not know, 

They have not yet arrived ; or else the king 
Has chosen some other place of rendezvous. 

Sieg. — But where are the provisions and the cook? 
Or do they think that we may chance to find 
Some magic castle in the lonely wood, 
With table ready spread for our repast ? 

Hagen. — Nay, if ere long they come not, we must 
seek them ; 
But meantime wilt thou have some wheaten bread ? 
I have some with me. 

Sieg. Ay, most readily ; 

'Tis scanty fare, but hunger makes it sweet. 

Hagen. — 'Tis rare, indeed, to see thee thus return 
Quite without booty. 

Sieg. Ay, but so it chanced ; 

And I will tell thee how — I met a bear, 
A gallant beast ! — thou know'st I scorn to use 
Weapons against defenceless animals — 
And so we wrestled boldly, limb to limb, 
But victory was mine — I bore him down— 



76 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

I knelt upon his breast and grasp'd his throat, 
Till he stretch' d out his tongue imploringly, 
And cast on me such a beseeching glance ! 
Then all at once I thought — I know not why, 
Upon my wife and child — and he, perchance, 
Thus ran my thoughts, may have a wife and child, 
And as this cross' d my mind, I let him go, 
And then he stole into the wood, as though 
1 deem'd aright — for animals love too. 

Hagen.—Ky, and their love is constant, — without 
bounds 
Or change — 

Sieg. It is, indeed ! the faithful dog 

Stretches himself upon his master's grave, 
Rejects all nourishment, and pines and dies — 
And what could man do more ? 

Hag en. Nothing, and yet 

Perchance, perchance as much. [A pause. 

How heavily 
Fidelity weighs sometimes on the soul ! 

Sieg. — Fidelity, and how ? 

Hag en. Yes, if a man 

Thou hast ever held in reverence and esteem, 
Asperse the fame and honour of the friend 
To whom thou'st sworn unalterable truth, 
To avenge thy friend's insulted honour, — thou 
Must slay that man. 

Sieg. Most truly — so I must. 

Wilt let me have the wine ? 



THE NIEBELTJNGEN TREASURE. 77 

Hag en. I have no wine. 

Sieg. — How, thou strange being, how ? bread with- 
out wine — 
What ! do not bread and wine belong together, 
Like life and limb ? or happiness and love ? 

Hag en. — Ay ! but th' Almighty's wine flows every- 
where : 
See' st thou the crystal waters of this brook 1 
'Twill quench thy thirst, and cool thy blood — the spot 
Is not indeed best fitted for the purpose. 

Sieg. — Such is the will of God, that man should gain 
Whate'er he needs with labour and fatigue, 
That he may keep in practice for the fight. 

Hag en {after he has drank.) — Oh the delicious 

draught — now drink thou too ? 
Sieg. {laying aside his arms.) — This wine will 

quench thy thirst for many a day ! 
[Siegfried kneels down to drink — Ha gen silently 
takes away his arms, draws his sword and 
plunges it between his shoulders — then flies. 
Sieg. (springs up.) —Ha ! traitor ! 
[Seeks his weapons, and as he cannot find them, 
throws a fragment of rock after Hagen, who 
has disappeared. 
Ha ! take that — blood-thirsty hound ! 

[He sinks to the ground. 
Hagen steps forward. 
Hagen. — Sound, sound the horn ! the noble game 
has fallen. [A bugle is heard behind the scene. 



78 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Sieg. — Ay, sound in triumph ! for the bloody deed. 
Oh, heaven ! my hapless wife ! my infant boy ! 

Enter Gunther, Bruxpiilda, Yolker, D anew art, 
and other Nobles. 

Hagen. — See, noble warriors ! there lies Siegmund's 
son, 
Slain by this hand, because he dared asperse 
My sovereign's honour — say, have I done well ? 

All. — Thou hast done well. 

Hagen. Is the king's honour clear'd ? 

All— It is ! it is ! 

Sieg. I never injured it. 

Gun. — A higher power has judged between us ! 

Sieg. No ! 

No higher power— only thy thirst for blood! 

Brim. — Ah ! girdle robber — for thy robbery, 
See, I have given thee a girdle too — 
Death's fatal girdle, which thou canst not loose ! 
Ha, dragon slayer ! I have baited on thee 
Death's fearful dragon, which thou canst not slay! 
Ha ! maiden winner : : ee, an evil maid, 
The gloomy Nome — she has won thee now ! 

Sieg. — Oh, would to heaven that I had never won 
The fatal treasure — would to heaven I ne'er 
Had seen the magic cap— I had not brought 
The deadly poison of thine evil heart 
Into a peaceful christian house— oh, woe ! 
Almighty, thou protect my wife and child ! [Dies. 



J 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 79 

Hag en. — He is no more ! 

Giin, He — he—oh, say not he ! 

The strength and courage of a mighty host 
Lay in that single heart— that single arm — 
And every virtue which in other hearts 
Is scatter 'd one by one — united reign'd 
In his. — Alas, not one alone has died, 
Many have perish'd in this hero's fall ! {Advances) 
Oh, would to God we ne'er had met on earth ! 
Oh, would to God that thou had'st never freed 
My sister from the dragon ! — never chosen 
The thoughtless silly woman as thy bride ! 
It had been better both for thee and me ! 
Thou would' st not lie here welt' ring in thy gore ; 
I should not live a prey to vain remorse. 
5 Tis not my thirst for blood has wrought thy death — 
No — 'twas the silly compact that we made, 
When first we met : and cruel destiny 
Has twin'd her fatal web around us both. 

Brun. — Accuse not fate — 'twas your own treachery ! 
When you deceived me, you deceived yourselves. 
If in the evil deed, there did not lie 
The germ of future vengeance, — then the Gods 
Were little worth the homage they receive ! 
But they are worth it, — they have judged aright, 
For he is dead — thou mournest— I am avenged. 

[Exit, 
[All follow, except Gukther, Hag-en, and Yolker. 
Gun. — Go, bid the army be in readiness 



80 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

To march by set of sun — the enemy- 
No longer shall expect th' attack in vain ! 
Thou Hagen, must attend the queen to Worms, 
And must remain at home to guard the realm — 
Too well thou know'st th' avenger's blood-stained hand 
Would call down evil on me in the fight ! 

Hag en. — Since 'tis thy pleasure, king, I will remain. 

Gun, — And take his body with — and be the funeral 
Such as may well beseem a royal prince — 
So sumptuous, so magnificent,— that all 
Who see his obsequies, at once may say, 
Here lies the monarch's best and dearest friend. 
The hand of death must heal the bitterest strife. 

[Exit GilNTHER. 

Volker. — Oh, friend, what cruel deed hast thou 
performed ? 

Hagen. — A. stern and cruel deed ! Of this be sure, 
It brings nor joy, nor triumph to the doer ; 
But yet a righteous deed — it was not hate, 
Nor envy of his glory, or his fame, 
Nor love of woman ! no — nor thirst for gold ! 
Which armed my hand against that noble life ; 
But when I found my sovereign's honour call'd 
For Siegfried's death, my loyalty compell'd 
The deed, howe'er at variance with my heart. 

Volker. — Too true — too true— how happy is the 
man 
Whose liberty and conscience are his own. 

[He stejps towards Siegfried's body* 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 81 

Oh, royal lion, monarch of the wilds, 
Without compassion have they hunted thee ! 
Alas ! is this obscure and nameless rock 
Thy fitting death-bed ! bravest of the brave ! 
Thou glorious conqueror in a hundred fights, 
Pride of thy friends, and terror of thy foes ! 
How many a savage monster hast thou slain, 
The scourge and dread of all the country round, 
And this is now thine only recompense ! 
Thou wert the benefactor of mankind, 
And the bright harbinger of fairer days — 
A whole futurity of benefits 
To human nature, has expired with thee ! 
Accept this garland, though too soon 'twill fade, 
5 Tis all that friendship's hand can give thee now. 
A nobler wreath posterity will twine, — 
The never-fading laurel round thy brow ! 
Thy memory shall be the guiding star 
Of ages yet to come — and from the tomb 
Shall lead them on the path of fame and glory ! 

[Exeunt Volker and Hagen. — Curtain falls. 



ACT IV. 

Scene I. — A Hall in the Palace at Worms. 

Enter Gunther, Brunhilda, and Hagen. 

Brun. — Right glad am I, my dear and royal lord, 
Once more to see thee in thy native realm, 

G 



82 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

To see thee thus triumphant and unharm'd ! 

Giln. — We never fought more bravely, nor did foe 
Ever present more desperate resistance ; 
"lis to the gallant Volker that we owe 
The hard-contested victory. 

Hag en. I rejoice 

Both in thy conquest, and my friend's renown ; 
But mostly I rejoice that thou'rt returned, 
To ease me of the load of government — 
Believe me this, to rule a mighty realm, 
Is far more difficult and wearisome, 
For him to whom the power is only lent, 
Than to its own legitimate possessor. 

Brun. — Oh, well for me, that thou'st at length 
return' d, 
For thou art kind— thine ear is never closed 
To my petition, and thou dost accede, 
If possible, to my request, but he 
Will follow no one's counsel save his own. 
Methinks 'twere easier to find a heart 
In the rough rock, than in his iron breast. 

Hagen. — Yes, good my lord. I know full w T ellthe 
queen — 
Still heavier Lady Chriemhild will accuse me. 
Much have I done to grieve her, and was forced 
To act thus harshly for my sovereign's weal. 

Brun. — Yes, he has taken the treasure from her 

hands. 
Hagen. — And I did right, for e'en at Siegfried's 
funeral, 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 83 

She scatter' d heaps of gold among the crowd, 

Beseeching masses for her husband's soul, 

And so profusely did she give, that e'en 

The poorest turn'd him carelessly away 

From her full hand : and, later still, she seized 

Every occasion to distribute gifts 

Among the nobles — money mid the crowd — 

And this unbounded liberality, 

Thus aided by her beauty and her tears, 

Moved every heart. And soon they talked of nought 

Save Siegfried's early death, and Chriemhild's woes, 

And call'd our just revenge, a cruel murder : 

This to my sovereign's welfare was oppos'd, 

And therefore I deprived her of the treasure. 

Brun. — Why, that indeed was right — but when I 
bade thee 
Deliver up the treasure to my hands, 
Did'st thou obey my will? 

Hag en. No, I refused. 

Brun. — Thou hearest, my lord. 

Giin. But thou wilt give it me ? 

Where hast thou hid it ? 

Hag en. xifter twenty nights 

Of labour, I contrived to bury it 
Deep in the Rhine — I, by myself, alone— 
And no one knows the spot where now it lies. 

Gun.— How ! in the Rhine ? why surely thou art 
mad. 

Hagen.— Not mad, but faithful to my sovereign's 
cause. 



84 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Giin. — Shew me the spot where 'tis conceaPd ? 

Hag en. I will, 

If thou wilt swear to leave it undisturb'd. 

Giin. — I will not ! 

Hag en. Then the secret rests with me. 

Has not this treasure brought thee woe enough ? 
Has it not torn asunder nature's ties, 
And sown fell discord in thy royal house ? 
I fear'd me it might brood worse evils still, 
And so T buried it beneath the Rhine, 
That it might sink still deeper every day, 
'Till it returns at length into the earth 
From which, to our misfortune, it was torn. 

Brun. — But I will have the treasure! speak, my lord, 
Command thy slave to shew thee where it lies ? 

Hagen. — I'm not the monarch's slave ! 'tis truth 
and love 
Alone which bind me to my sovereign's side : 
These, lady, can exist with freedom only, 
Fear, not affection rules the slave, 

Giin. ? Tis well! 

Then, by thy boasted loyalty, give up 
The treasure. 

Hagen. That forbids me to obey. 

Brun. — 'Tis false, my lord — he has not buried it — 
He has it in his own possession. 

Hagen. (scornfully) That 

The king does not believe — and if he does, 
Why then he may — 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 85 

Gun. No ! I believe it not, 

But thou shalt tell me where that treasure lies. 

Hagen.— -It may not be, my lord— but this I swear 
No other human being shall ever know it. 

Brun. — ? Tis thus he ever hath withstood my will, 
With this insulting coolness. Siegfried's son 
He sent to Siegmund — to his grandsire's court. 

Hagen. — And I did well. 

Brun. Thou did'st, for when she stood 

Making parade of grief on the Altan, 
In widow's robes, — her infant in her arms, 
The people cried : See, Siegfried's lovely boy ! 
Poor child ! the image of his noble sire ! 
May heaven protect him from his enemies. 
Thus spake the crowd, while on their future king, 
My darling boy, they did not cast a glance ! 

Hagen. — ? Twas for that very cause I sent him hence ! 

Brun. — So far thou knowest, pleased me well— but 
when 
I bade thee send away the mother too, 
Did'st thou obey my will ? 

Hagen. No ! Lady, no — 

I would not have her wend to Siegmund's court, 
To rouse his enmity against my king. 
To wake his pity by her tears and moans, 
'Till it became confederate with her hate : 
Nor with his evening prayers, teach her boy 
To mingle projects of revenge onus. 

Brun. — Absurd, absurd ! how could she injure us, 



86 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Depriv d of both her husband and her wealth ? 

Hagen. — How? death alone subdues a woman's 
power ; 
For she has beauty, if she has not wealth, 
And if she has not beauty, she has tears, 
And winning words, and sighs, and tender looks. 

Giln. — Thine obstinate resolve to keep her here 
Has served me better than thy loyalty. 
The king of Hungary, Attila — 

Hagen, Is camped 

Beside the Danube with a mighty host. 

Gun. — The host is there, the king himself is here ; 
He is the noble guest for whose reception 
Such sumptuous preparations have been made. 
He offers me his friendship, in return 
All he requires is my sister's hand. 

Hagen. — The king of Hungary, and Chriemhilda's 
hand ? 
Thou never surely wilt consent to this ? 

Brun. — It must be good, e'en as thou dost oppose it ; 
For once be firm, my royal lord. 

Gun. I will ! 

I'll haste to rid me of this hated woman, 
Whose folly robb'd me of the best of friends. 

Hagen.— Oh., pause, my dearest lord ! bethink 
thee well ! 
Say — would'st thou force thy sad and widow' d sister, 
She who already has endur'd so much, 
To wed this ruthless heathen ? 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 87 

Gun. Ay, indeed, 

It fits thee well to urge me to compassion ! 
Who slew her husband, robb'd her of her treasures, 
And tore her infant from her arms ? 

Hagen. For thee ! 

Oh, monarch listen to my warning voice, 
Withdraw thine hand, — withdraw it ere too late. 
How? would'st thou whet the steelfor thine own breast, 
And lend new poison to the adder's sting, 
That it might wound thee still more fatally ? 
Wilt thou place power in thy sister's hand, 
Wrong' d — deeply, deeply wrong ? d — as she has been ? 
How canst thou dream there is a heart so pure, 
So free from earthly passions, earthly taint, 
As to forgive what we have done to her ? 

Brun. — Oh, do not heed his counsel, noble prince, 
'Tis for himself he trembles, not for thee ! 

Hagen. — 'Tis for the king I tremble — thathe knows, 
My life I value for his sake alone ! 

G&n. — Were it not madness for an idle dream 
To rouse the fury of this mighty king, 
Whose dreaded arms have conquer' d every land, 
Even to the very boundaries of our realm ? 

Hagen, — Oh, hear me ! let thy sister join her son 
At Siegmund's court — he cannot claim her then, 
And if he will have war — why be it so ; 
He has the greater force — the better thou ; 
For Christian kings unwillingly attend 
His blood-stained banners— while in heart and soul 



88 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

United, we may still defy his power. 
But no alliance with this ruthless king, 
This merciless destroyer — no alliance 
Betwixt the noble stag and prowling wolf ! 

Brim. — Heed not his counsel. 

Gun. No, I will not hear it. 

Hagen. — Be wise, my lord, — oh, think upon the past, 
Think on my counsel — think upon thy choice — 
Hear me this once, my sovereign — but this once — 
By thy salvation, by thy hopes of heaven, 
Let me beseech thee on my bended knees, 
Reject this bond — 'twill desolate thine house — 
'Twill ruin thee and thine ! forbear, forbear. 

Giln. — -Rise, fortune offers me her richest boon, 
Shall I reject it ? No, I will no longer 
Be slave to thy fidelity — arise, 
My sister shall become the monarch's bride, 
And thou shalt shew me where the treasure lies. 

[Hagen rises, Chriemhilda enters in deep 

mourning. 

Chriem. — My brother, oh my brother ! God be 
thank' d 
I see that dear, that well known face once more ; 
Long have I been surrounded by strange forms, 
Long I have suffer'd more than words can speak, 
Sick unto death — yet tortur'd and opprest — 

[She sees Hagen. 
The murderer here ! oh, brother send him hence ! 
See you not Siegfried's blood upon his hands ? 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 89 

He wears the hero's sword he basely slew, 
The blade is rusted with my husband's gore, 
Oh, send him hence ! in mercy send him hence I 

Giln. — Retire. 

Hagen. — Oh, think my lord on my advice. [Exit. 

Chriem. — No, no ! regard it not, whate'er it be ; 
His counsel's blood — his very dream is blood. 

Griln. — Enough of this, now say, what brings thee 
here? 

Chriem. — I scarcely know, — my sufferings and my, 
wrongs 
Have been so many, that as now they rush 
Upon my memory, they half distract me ! 
Each claims the right of being mentioned first ; 
For each when separate appears the greatest. 
I will not murmur at my Siegfried's death, 
For that thou did'st permit, nay more command I 
May God forgive thee ! thou art still my brother ! 
But never surely could it be thy will 
To rob my son of his inheritance, 
Won by his gallant father's conquering sword, 
To tear this child, my last, my only hope, 
The one bright star that yet remain' d to shed 
A ray upon my dark and dreary path ! 
Oh, no ! it was not, could not be thy will, 
To tear this darling from my widow' d breast, 
To rend in twain this sad and breaking heart, 
And hurry me in anguish to the grave. 

Griln. — Accuse not me, nor others, but thyself 



90 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Alone, for all the woes thou hast endured. 
Thy bold inventive spirit, and thy tongue 
Which madly ventur'd to proclaim aloud 
That which to think in secret were a crime, 
These were thy husband's murderers and not we ; 
His fault was venial, 'twas the fault of love, 
But envy was the mother of thy guilt ; 
Go, cunning woman— go, I hate and scorn thee, 
For thou hast robb'd me of my noble friend. 

Chriem.— Alas ! unmeasurable is my guilt, 
For twice did I betray my gallant lord ; 
But ah ! my grief is unmeasurable too, 
For well I feel that I deserve my doom. 
Innocence sheds a balm on every grief, 
However deep, and soothes its agony ; 
Guilt holds a glowing iron to the wound. 
I know, I know how fearful was my crime, 
x\nd therefore no one, no one will I blame, 
But gladly, thankfully forgive the past, 
If thou wilt only let me join my child. 

Gun. — It may not be— thou shalt not waste thy 
youth 
In fruitless mourning — thou shalt cast aside 
The widow's veil to shine upon a throne. 
The mighty king of Hungary, Attila, 
Wooes thee as thy bride, to him art thou betroth' d. 

Chriem. — Oh, if thou seek'st to fright me with 
mere tales 
Invent a better — 



THE N1EBELUNGEN TREASURE. 91 

Giin. 'Tis no tale. 

Chriem. It is ! 

It is ! thou canst not — canst not be so base, 
So void of feeling, as without a blush, 
To think on, or propose so vile a scheme, 
It cannot be ! 

Brun. Nay ! why art thou alarm' d ; 

Once pomp and splendour were so dear to thee, 
Thou would'st have torn the sun, the moon, the stars 
From their bright spheres to deck thyself withal ! 
Now may'st thou shine ! 

Chriem. Oh do not let her speak 

Who always hated me - speak brother, thou — 
Oh think upon our childhood's happy years, 
The same fond mother nurs'd us on her breast, 
The same kind father blest and cherish'd us ! 
Thou canst not surely wish thy sister's death? 

Gun. — King Attila's request is a command! 

Chriem. — Oh, let me only fly ! I'll leave you all 
I yet can call my own ! I'll disappear, 
With strangers will I hire myself as maid ! 
Or if my strength should fail beneath the task 
Of daily labour, I will beg my bread 
At the church doors — but spare me, spare me this ! 
Oh do not, do not force me, while the earth 
Is scarcely dry upon my husband's grave, 
Oh do not force me with this broken heart, 
This tear-dimm'd eye, to wed a second lord! 
Stead of the noble falcon to espouse 



92 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

This vulture who is nourish'd upon blood, 
That were a monster's, not a brother's deed. 

Gun. — Ha! thou remember'st now that I'm thy 
brother, 
Thou could' st forget it when thou openly- 
Aspersed my honour, and my wife. 

Chriem. Alas ! 

Forget it now ! I will forget far more — 
All, all the bitter wrongs I have endur'd. 
Think of our honour — here it is the same ; 
Were it not shame to thee, to me, to mine, 
To all the royal house of Burgundy, 
If I, a Christian princess, were to wed 
A heathen monarch ! oh our holy faith 
Forbids the union. 

Gun. What is that to us ? 

The law which binds the slave, commands not kings ! 

Chriem. — There's but one law, and that one binds 
alike 
The humble peasant, and the sceptred king. 
Hear me, my brother ! when my dearest lord 
Left these fond arms, to find a bloody grave, 
I swore that if I lost him I would wear 
The widow's garments to my latest hour, 
And never, never be a bride again ! 
I call'd on God — my love gave me a right 
To this temerity — I call'd on God 
To punish and reject me if I broke 
This solemn vow : will not my perjury 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 93 

Arouse my murder' d husband from his grave, 
And shut me out from pardon and salvation ? 

Herald. — The royal guest ! the Hungarian king 
approaches ! 

Giin. — Up, all ! and let the welcome be right royal, 
As may beseem his power and our own. 
And, silly woman, thou prepare to meet 
Thy noble bridegroom. 

[He turns away. CHRiEMHiKDA/a/fo at his feet. 

Chriem. Oh, my brother, hear me, 

Hear me a single word. [Gunther tears himself away . 

In vain ! he goes 
To whet the sword to slay his wretched victim : 
The breast of man is steel ! 

[Approaching Brunhilda on her knees. 
Thou art a woman, 
And thou canst sympathize with woman's woes, 
Canst feel the mortal anguish, while the heart 
Is fill'd with love and sorrow for the dead, 
Thus to be forced to shame his memory. 
Oh, save me, save me from this dreadful doom. 

Brun. — Reserve thy words to win thy bridegroom's 
heart : 
Thou'st call'd me oft a wicked heathen woman ; 
How canst thou hope for mercy or compassion 
In such a heathen's bosom ? 

Chriem. Oh, forgive, 

Forgive the past ! thou still art queen ; forgive ! 
Oh, list not to the voice of former hate ! — 



94 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

I am too wretched for thine hatred now : 
They've robb'd me of my husband, of my wealth. 
See, here I lie a beggar at thy feet ; 
Oh, let them not deprive me of the last, 
The only treasure I can call my own, 
The right to weep, unchidden and unseen ; 
My son's last sole inheritance, my honour ! 

Brun. — How canst thou ask me to protect thine 
honour ? 
Didst thou spare mine ? say, didst thou not asperse it 
With vile, malicious falsehood ? 

Chriem. Yet have mercy ! 

Thou likewise art a mother ; by thy son, 
On whose young brows a crown one day will shine, 
Oh, by that child, do I beseech thy pity ! 
Let them not drag me to the hated altar, 
Lest mine own son should turn away with scorn, 
When he shall hear the wretched creature named, 
Whobrought him in the world, and then disgrac'd him. 

Bran. — Ha ! speakestthou of the honour of that son 
Thou fain hadst proved a bastard ? out on thee ! 
Go to the heathen monarch's shameful bed, 
That e'en the meanest peasant girl may scorn thee. 
Go, be the heathen's bride ; then we are quits, 
And my revenge will revel in thy shame. [Exit. 

Chriem. {rising in violent emotion?) — Revenge ! 
revenge ! I understand thee now ; 
Thy fearful spirit rises 'fore mine eyes, 
Like a bright flame amid the gloom of night. 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 95 

Once I detested e'en thy very name, 

And deem'd the highest earthly luxury 

Was to forgive — come, be my favourite word ; 

All other idle words will I renounce, 

And will remember thee alone : revenge ! 

Ha ! ha ! the bridegroom comes ; adorn the bride, 

That he may see her in her beauty's pride ; 

And who "shall say I dread the coming hour ? 

He brings me vengeance ! vengeance is my dower ! 



Scene II. — An apartment of Chriemhilda's : in the 
back ground an altar with a cross: to the left, a 
cabinet : Hildica, in mourning, comes from the left. 

/Mil. — Methinks I hear my noble lady's step, 
1 tremble even now, ere I behold her. 
She seeks for mercy where she finds but hate, 
And will return in agony and grief. 
Oh, heaven, when will all our sorrows end ? 

Chriem. (rushes in.) — Quick, Hildica, bring me 
my jewels ! haste ! 

Hil. — Thy jewels, lady! Heaven, what has chanc'd? 

Chriem. — Oh, nothing, nothingmore than ev'ry day. 
Bring me my jewels ! why dost hesitate ? 

Hil — There are the jewels, princess ; but for what ? 

Chriem. — I will adorn myself, and go to court. 

Hil. — To court, sweet mistress, in these mourning 
robes ! 

Chriem. — No, loosen from my head the widow's veil ! 
It is too heavy, it has borne me down. 



96 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Hil. — Alas ! my princess . 

Chriem. Silence, and obey ! 

[Hildica takes off the veil. 
These constant tears have dimm'd my aching eyes, 
And I must gaze at fire to strengthen them. 
Now, cover yonder cross with this dark veil. 

Hil. — Alas! thy words sound like the knell of 
death, 
Thy glances like those clouds of lurid fire 
Which threatens us with danger and destruction. 

Chriem. — Yes, lurid fire ! oh, use thee unto that ! 
Soon wilt thou see the heavens all in flames. 
Well, wilt thou go and cover yonder cross ? 

[Hildica obeys. 
The king of Hell is master upon earth, 
His subjects are the only happy ones, 
I would be happy too . 

[Hildica is returned, and arranges her hair. 
Thou art too rough. 

Hil. — Forgive me, noble lady, but I tremble ; 
These sparkling diamonds glitter midst thine hair 
Like spirits' eyes amid the gloom of night. 
Merciful heavens ! oh what may this portend ! 

Chriem. — Did I not say I meant to go to court ? 
Hast thou not heard what noble guest's arrived ? 

Hil. — I have— the mighty lord of Hungary, 
The king has welcom'd him with royal splendour. 

Chriem. — Doubtless he has — for ' tis my bridegroom . 

Hil. Thine ! 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 97 

How canst thou stain thy lips with words like these ? 

Chriem. — Am I to blame if wickedness is truth, 
And virtue falsehood ? 

Hil. Oh such words are sin ! 

Oh, speak, my much-lov'd mistress — thouwert wont, 
In joy and sorrow, still to call me friend. 

Chriem.— That's over now. What power hast thou 
to aid me ? 
I've chosen a mightier friend ! 

Hil. Alas ! and whom ? ' 

Chriem. — Thou canst not see hpr form — by day, 
she wears 
The garb of day — by night, the robe of night, 
Bfer step is noiseless as the cloud's swift course, 
^till — as the gathering storm she bends the bow, 
And her sharp arrows never miss their aim ! 
Enter Herald. 
Herald. — King Giinther and his guest King Attila 
Request a gracious audience, noble dame ! 

Chriem. {after a pause.) — I will receive them as 
beseems their rank. 

[Exit Herald and Hildica. 
Now rise before my sight, ye cruel wrongs, 
That have been heaped on my defenceless head, 
Support me — aid me— in my dread intent, 
Thou shade of my belov'd and murder'd lord, 
And image — or what know I — then— perchance 
Shade of the child they tore from these fond arms, 

H 



98 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Oh, come ! and whisper vengeance to my heart ! 
Enter Gunther and Ezel. 

Gun. — Sister, I lead this mighty king, the lord 
Of all the eastern nations, to thy presence, 
That thou may'st welcome him. 

Chriem. I humbly greet 

The royal lord, the king of Hungary. 

Ezel, — Thanks, noble dame. But not a humble 
greeting, 
A friendly one, is sweet from beauty's lips, 
Thine are the loveliest I have e'er beheld. 

Gun. — Sister, I am glad to see thee thus adorn' d. 

Chriem. — What woman would not don her fairest 
robes 
When such a noble guest as Attila 
Wooes her as bride ? 

Ezel. Already then thou knowest 

What brings me here ! 

Chriem. — King Gunther has informed me. 

Ezel. — Then, noble lady, let us speak of this. 

Chriem. — We will, my lord : but we must be alone. 
I am a widow, prince — and need not blush 
To hear thee without witnesses. 

Ezel. So be it, 

If royal Gunther deigns to leave us. 

Giin. Yes ! 

Gladly, my lord, — thy wish thou knowest is mine. 

[Exit. 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 99 

Chriem. — Now speak, king Attila, what brings 
thee here ? 

Ezel. — Death, which is mightier than all earthly 
kings, 
. Has robb'd me of my wife, the lady Hilken, 
And having heard of thy surpassing charms, 
I sent some trusty messengers to view, 
If thou wert lovely, as report averr'd, 
And all on their return drew such a picture 
Of thy unrivall'd loveliness and grace, 
That I am come to woo thee as my bride. 

Chriem. — What, if I said I will not be thy wife ? 

Ezel. — How so? thy brother hath betroth'd thee 
to me, 
And I bestow my friendship in return. 

Chriem. — Nay, that were foolish — for what canst 
thou buy — 
What can he sell thee ? Nothing but my form, 
Neither my love, nor duty, nor obedience ! 

Ezel. — Ha ! not obedience ? why I have commanded 
The nations of the east to bow them down 
Before my vassals — lo ! and they obeyed. 
I bade the mighty western lands to feed 
My favourite war horse with their choicest fruit, 
And they obey'd. And shall my wife resist me ? 

Chriem. — To nations thou opposedst mighty hosts, 
But to thy wife thou must oppose thyself, 
xlnd woe to thee if force decide the day ; 



100 THE N1EBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Say, what can guard thee from the poison' d bowl, 
Or what protect thee from the midnight dagger ? 

Ezel. — I laugh to scorn thy vain and idle threats ! 
But thy refusal — that indeed is folly. 
Must I implore thee to become a queen, 
The first and richest princess of the world ? 
I can command the monarchs of the earth : 
Bring me your sisters and your virgin daughters, 
That I may choose a bride among their ranks ! 
And in an instant would my halls be fill'd 
With all the fairest maidens in their realms. 
So dream not thou wilt ever hear from me 
Entreaties for thy favour or thy love ! 
It is thy brother's will and mine, — enough. 

Chriem. — Stay, haughty monarch, give me time to 
speak. 
Why buy me from my brother — do I then 
Belong to him ? No, buy me from myself ! 

Ezel. — Thou art a lovely woman — name thy price ? 

Chriem.— Hast thou not heard what cruel injuries 
My nearest kin have heap'd upon my head ? 

Ezel. — Ay, noble lady, all has reach' d my ears. 

Chriem. — Yes, they have plung'd the dagger in my 
breast, 
Have tortur'd me 'till every nerve lay bare, 
Like fiends— -and revell'd in my agony ! 
'Till now I have endur'd my bitter wrongs, 
In silence like the meek and helpless lamb — 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 101 

In secret I've besought the aid of heaven, 

Watering my pillow nightly with my tears. 

I was a child, — now I have laid aside 

All childish folly — I will weep no more, 

I will have vengeance ! vengeance for my wrongs ! 

EzeL (eagerly^) — Yes, vengeance! tenfold ven- 
geance on thy foes ! 
I laud thy spirit, — cowardice only spends 
The precious hours in useless sighs and tears. * 
The noble soul seeks comfort in revenge, 
She is the sole enchantress, who can heal 
Those wounds invisible to mortal eye. 

Chriem. — And I will have revenge ! this is the price 
At which thou now may'st buy me for a wife ! 

Ifzel. — And thou shalt have it — yes, I promise thee 
Revenge for noble Siegfried's cruel murder, 
And for the robbery of thy child and wealth. 
Yes— every tear that's dimm'd that beauteous eye 
Shall be avenged by a stream of blood ! 

Chriem, — Indeed, 'tis well, ay, blood for tears— 
and she 
Who loaded me, a sick and suppliant woman, 
With insult and opprobrium — let me see 
Her perish at my feet ! yes — I am thine ! 
Swear by the Gods thou servest, to avenge me. 

EzeL — By the white God, the giver of all good ! 
By the black God, the source of every ill ! 
And by the scourge of heaven, this trusty sword, 



102 THE NIEBELTJNGEN TREASURE. 

I swear to avenge thee on thine enemies ! 

Chriem. — The oath sounds well : 'tis like the wolfs 
wild howl, 
By the same Gods, avenger, I am thine ! 
Ezel. — The fairest booty that I ever won. 
Chriem. — But mark thee — clos'dwill be my cham- 
ber door, 
'Till thou shalt say — The vengeance is complete ! 

Hz el. —Yes — I will pitch a camp upon the Rhine, 
Vengeance shall be the leader of the feast, 
Trust to my word ! Now, lovely one, farewell ! 
Soon shall my army hail thee as their queen ! 

[He kisses her brow — and exit. 

Chriemhilda remains some moments in deep 
meditation — then — 
Chriem. — Sleepest thou, my love ; oh, well for thee 
thou sleepest ! 
And know'st not what passes here on earth. 
Oh, well for thee thou dreamest not —that no dream 
Mirrors to thee how Chriemhild breaks her vows. 
Yet dream, but only of the coming day, 
When vengeance will be mine for all our wrongs, 
For thy foul murder and thy Chriemhild's shame ! 

[Curtain falls* 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 103 

ACT V. 

Scene I. — King Attila's tent in the camp of the Huns 
on the Rhine — Evening — Attila's bridal feast: 
in the centre are seated under rich canopies, to the 
right, Ezel and Chriemhilda, to the left Gunther 
and Brunhilda — to the side, on tenches covered with 
tapestry sit, — to the right, Blodel, Dietrich, Rudi- 
ger, I ring, and Ha wart — to the left, Eckart, Ha- 
gen, Dankwart, Ortwin, and Volker. Ezel's 
courtiers wait behind the guests. As the curtain rises, 
ally except Attila and Chriemhilda raise their 
goblets and shout : Happiness and Fortune I while be- 
hind the scenes sound trumpets and hautboys. 

Giin, (still holding up his goblet, while the rest 
place theirs on the table) — 
This goblet, noble monarch, royal kinsman — 
This goblet to the compact we have sworn, 
And may it flourish even as a tree 
Upon the margin of the crystal stream ! 

Hag en. — Ay, if the treacherous flood engulf it not ! 

Ezel. — Thanks, royal Gunther, thanks ! and may 
our compact 
Flourish, e'en as 'twas honest and sincere ! 

Bran. — I drink this, monarch, to thy royal house, 
And may the lady Chriemhild bring thee boys 
As lion-hearted as thyself, and girls 
As fair and gentle as the mother is ! 



10 i THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Ezel. — Thanks, noble princess ! 
(To Chriemhilda.) "Well, canst thou not speak ! 

Art thou a maiden, that thou seem'st abash' d ? 
Chriern. {after a pause.) — Thanks, royal sister, 
for your friendly words ; 
If kindly meant— accept my thanks for that ! 

Brun. — How ? can one wish good things with bad 
intent ? 
Thou dost not trust me 'cause I was a heathen. 
Well, lady, well— I hope thy future sons 
Will reconcile thy mind to paganism ! [short pause. 
Hagen. — Friend Volker, come ! thou'st promised us 
a song ! 
Now were the very time, methinks — 

Blodel. A song ! 

Here on the Rhine you sing such pleasing lays ! 
Volker.— (singing to a lute.) 

Thus spoke the vassal to his lord : 
Oh ! enter not the festive hall, — 
Amid its splendour lurks the sword. 
And vain regret will follow all. 

Taste not the wine so bright and sweet — 
Thus spoke the vassal true and bold, 
For in the goblet lurks deceit 
And all that glitters is not gold ! 

Attila (seeking to bridle Ms confusion.) — What 
means this song — and at a nuptial feast ? 
Ts this a merry lay of love and wine ? 



THE NIEBELUXEGN TREASURE. 105 

Volker. — The bard is subject to no earthly king, 
And that which prompts his lay is not of earth ! 

Ezel. — I will not hear this song — sing me another. 
To me it seems ill fitting for the time ! 

Volker, — Xay, do not chide the minstrel, noble king ! 
Your reputation lies within his power — 
And as he speaks your deeds in yerse and song, 
So future ages will record your fame ! 

Chriera. — Yes, noble monarch, do not chide~a man 
Who, as I know, wreathes chaplets for the dead. 
But see— 'tis late — let us conclude the feast. 

[She rises — trumpets and hautboys are heard — 
all leave their seats, and come forward. 
Attila. — Now, royal Giinther, gentle queen and all 
King Glinther's yassals — deign accept my thanks ! 
That by your gracious presence, you haye shed 
Still brighter splendour on our nuptial feast. 
Farewell ! our chamberlains will marshal you 
The way to your apartments for the night. 
I fear indeed the lodging is but poor, 
'Twas fitted up in haste for this occasion. 

Gun.— A friendly welcome makes all dwellings gay ! 
Brun. — Farewell, sweet queen ! may no sad thoughts 
approach 
Thy golden couch, and chase thy balmy rest. 

[Exeunt the Burgundians. 
Chriem. — Take heed, take heed ! thou cruel poison- 
ous asp, 



106 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Thy slumbers may be more disturbed than mine ! 

{To Attila.) Yes, Attila, this is our bridal night ; 
Eemember now, my lord, the promis'd gift. 

Attila. — Yes, gallant vassals, listen to your king ! 
Here you must cast aside these festive robes, 
And don the warrior's iron garb ! 

Chriem. You know, 

Alas ! alas ! what nation does not know, 
And how then could it fail to reach your ears — 
You know the wrongs — the deadly, deadly wrongs, 
The scorn, the insult, and the injuries, 
Oh ! more than tongue can tell, or heart conceive, 
My nearest kin have heap'd upon my head ! 
On me an helpless, sick, and wretched widow ; 
If you are men and worthy of the swords 
Which glitter by your sides, arise, revenge 
A suffering woman ! rise, avenge your queen ! 
This is your monarch's promis'd bridal gift : 
Go and compel my brother, to deliver 
Hagen, my husband's murderer, to your hands ! 
But bring him here alive, that he may first 
Confess where he has hid my treasure — then 
Receive the doom which he so well deserves ! 

Diet. — But what if royal Giinther should refuse, 
As sure he will, to render up his vassal ? 

Chriem. — Then, warriors, you have swords, and 
they leave blood ! 

Ezel. — Yes, war and blood, if they refuse atonement, 



THE NIEBELTJNGEN TREASURE. 107 

And tell me, warriors, say is not this just ? 

Diet. — It would be just were they return'd to 
Worms, 
But here they are thy guests— the sacred rights 
Of hospitality protect them here ! 
Thou wilt not — 

Ezel. In this tent they were my guests, 

And they have left it unassailed — the camp 
Is not my fortress — and the very ground 
On which it stands belongs to Giinther's realm, 
Its only canopy, the vault of heaven. 

Blbdel. — What ! shall we let them back to Worms ? 
why here 
Are but ten nobles, and two hundred knights, 
AndTThence completely in our power, and here 
Doubtless king Giinther gladly will accede 
To all the queen s demands — 

Ezel. To arms, brave friends ! 

You, Iring, take two thousand of our troops, 
Surround the knights of Burgundy— and you, 
Warriors and vassals, stand prepared for fight. 
They shall submit to all my just demands ! 
Or, by the Gods, shall perish by my hands ! [Exit. 
[All follow, except Chriemhilda. 

Chriem. — 'Tis not for nought I have bestow' d my 
hand 
On this detested heathen, not in vain 
I have thus rent aside mine honour's veil 



108 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Before the eyes of men, no, Hagen's blood, 

The treasure too, — my son's inheritance, 

That haughty woman grovelling in the dust, 

A suppliant at my feet — this have I won, 

Though at a fearful price, but 'tis too late, 

Spirits of vengeance hover round me now, 

And aid me to survive both guilt and shame. [Exit. 



Scene II. changes to the quarters of the Burgundians ; 
a hall with entrance in the centre and on both sides, 
curtains instead of doors. Night. 

Four servants with blazing torches enter through the 
middle passage, following them Guxther, Brun- 
hilda, Hagen, and Volker. At the same moment 
three ladies appear, of whom two likewise carry torches. 

Brun. — The shades of night have long since fallen, 
my lord, 
Good night. (To the lady ivho has no torch.) 

Mine infant sleeps. 
Lady. Yes, royal lady, 

Long, long ere this, sweetly and tranquilly. 

Hagen. — Oh, would to heaven he slumbered thus 
at Worms, 
It was not well to bring him with thee, queen ! 

Brun. — I brought him only 'cause thou did'st op- 
pose, 
Unask'd for counsel savours of presumption, 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 109 

And had king Giinther hearkened unto thine, 
We ne'er had known the triumph of this day. 

Hagen. — God grant a night of deep, but vain regret 
May not succeed the triumph of this day ! 

Bran. — Once more, my lord, good night. 

Giin. Lady, farewell. 

[Brunhild a and her attendants go to the left. 

Gun. (to Hag en.) — So, wilt thou never banish these 
suspicions ? 

Hagen. — How can I mid so many signs of ill? 

Gun. — Thy fever'd fancy conjures up these signs ! 

Hagen. — Then tell me, monarch, why should they 
refuse 
To celebrate the nuptial feast at Worms ? 
Why are thy warriors' tents so far apart 
From thine abode ? and wherefore seem'd the king 
So wild and furious at Volker's song ? 
Oh, had' st thou hearken d to my warning voice, 
And never ventur'd to this fatal camp, 
Where treachery and hate surround thy path ! 

Giln. — I am the monarch' s kinsman and ally ; 
I am his guest ; no, no, it cannot be. 

Hagen — Unhappy king ! alas, thine easy faith 
Will prove thy ruin ! fly this fatal spot ; 
Be this the sole reward for all my care ; 
A sudden onset will disperse the guard. 
Fly, ere yet it is too late ! all is prepared 
For your escape ; haste thee, we will maintain 



110 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

The post, and guard the entrance with our lives, 
And not a single man shall follow you. 

Gun. — But if the king should mean it well with us, 
Think what an insult then would be our flight, 
How unprovok'd the attack upon his troops ! 

Folk. — I think so too ; these omens may be false ; 
Futurity is like a twilight eve ; 
For then a tree, if tempests shake its bonghs, 
Oft takes the form of monster fierce and grim, 
Tossing its giant arms towards the sky. 
But if thy sad presentiments be true, 
This much is sure — the foe is ready arm'd 
For fight ; attack from us would surely lead 
Not to deliverance, but to certain death. 
No, no, let them commence the murderer's strife, 
And break the laws of hospitality : 
Then to the combat — God will be with us ! 

[Enter Ortwin. 

Ort. — Treason, foul treason ! up, my lord! to arms ! 
My uncle Dankwart and his warriors 
Have been surrounded by the enemy ! 

Hag en. — Did I net warn thee ? 

Gun. Ha! a truce to words — 

Hagen. — Ay ! doubt alone has words ; now 'tis 
decided. 

Gun. — If he's a fool who trusts in truth and 
honour, 
None ever was so great a fool as I. 



THE NIEBELTJNGEN TREASURE. HI 

Shame on thee, Attila! how hast thou stain'd 
The name and majesty of kings ! 

[Eckart rushes in, followed by nobles. 
Eckart. To arms ! 

A fearful tumult riots through the camp ; 
It wakes the crows and ravens from their rest, 
Screaming they fly towards this fatal tower 
As though they scented prey ! 

Hagen. But they shall find 

Hunters instead ! 

Gun. Up, warriors, arm yourselves ! 

Hagen. (throwing off his upper vest.) — We're 

armed already ! 
Volker {doing the same.) — Servants, helm and 
s hield! 
You arm yourselves ! we will stand sentry here, 
And whoso dares approach shall bite the dust. 

Gun. — Oh, gallant Volker! part thy cause from 
ours! 
Thou hast no share in this unhappy night. 

Volker. — No ! Hagen shares his fortune with his 
friends. 
What gallant man will shun the feast or fight, 
When hospitality or honour bids ? 
Come, come, we'll give them such a welcome now, 
They shall not wish a day like this again. [Exeunt . 



112 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Scene III. — An ope?i space in the camp before the dwell- 
ing of the Burgundians. This dwelling, composed of 
wood, with a flight of steps and an open entrance, is on 
the right side, and stands between trees. In the back 
ground, the Rhine is visible, and in the distance a 
chain of mountains. Hagen and Volker appear at 
the entrance with drawn swords. Enter Ezel, 
Blodel, Dietrich, Rudiger ; and Hawart: each 
with his train of armed followers, and several torch- 
bearers. 

Ezel. — Ho ! ye who guard the entrance of this tower, 
Nobles of Burgundy, apprise your king 
That I am come to hold a parley with him. 

Volker. — Ha! mighty king, what sudden thought 
is this ? 
Sure something most unlooFd for must have chanc'd 
That thou hast chosen the night to speak thy will ! 
Blhdel. — Audacious, hold! darest thou insult the 

king? 
Volker. — Nay, if I do, the fault is his, not mine : 
I cannot see the royal crown by torchlight. 

[Enter Gunther, and Hagen, 
followed by several nobles. 
Giln.— Speak, Attila ! say, what is thy demand ? 
Why does thy warriors' heavy tread arouse 
The earth from slumber ? why dost thou disturb 
The silent night with clang and clash of arms ? — 
Dimming the starry light with blaze of torches— 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 113 

What mean these troops ? comest thou to war with us ! 

Ezel. — I come in peace, if thou wilt make atonement. 

Gun. — Who, I? atonement? I? and for what crime? 

Ezel. — For all the cruel wrongs which thou and 
thine 
Have heap'd upon thy sister, now my queen. 

Giin. — Methinks thou might'st hare found a fitter 
time 
For this demand. 

Ezel. The creditor demands 

His debt whene'er he thinks he can obtain it. 

Giin. — And what atonement, king, dost thou require ? 

Ezel. -Thou must restore the treasure thou hast 
stolen : 
And must deliver HageD to our hands, 
That we may deal with him as we deem fit. 

Gtftt.^-And what if I refuse this stern demand ? 

Ezel. — Then I must force compliance. 

Gun. Ay, and break 

The holy bond we have so lately sworn, 
And stain thy royal name with perjury ? 

Ezel. — I will maintain the compact we have made, 
If thou wilt do me justice ; but if this 
Thou still refusest, 'tis thy hand, not mine, 
That breaks the bond of amity and peace : 
For all I ask of thee is only just. 

Blodel and Haw art. Yes, it is just ! 

i 



114 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Rudiger. — At least 'tis not unjust! 
Volker. — But justice is oft hostile unto honour ! 
Gun. — And should a messenger from heav'n come 
. down 
And tell me that this stern demand were just, 
I could not, and I would not yield to it— 
For what shall I pay ransom ? for my life ? 
Would ye demand my heart's blood, when you know 
I cannot live without ; and if ye say, 
Give up your friend, it is as if you said, 
Give us your heart's blood— No, it shall not be, 
For what is life without a faithful friend 1 

Dietrich. — Oh, listen, king, to one, who though he 
stand 
Among thy foes would grieve at thy mishap — 
Think on thy kingdom ! on thy wife and child ! 
Let not the murderous sword decide the strife ; 
In the wild game of war, who can command 
His falchion, when the sheath is once withdrawn, 
To shed this blood alone, and that to spare. 
Thou standest with a few brave followers here 
Against a mighty host, nor earthly strength, 
Nor earthly valour, desperate though it be, 
Can save thee! No, nor long postpone thy fate. 
Oh, then, howe'er repugnant to thine heart, 
Accept the proffer' d terms, e'en kings may yield 
Without a blush to stern necessity. 
Giin. — I will restore the treasure. 



THE NDEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 115 

Ezel. I demand 

Not that alone but Hagen's ruthless head! 

Gun.— Hope not for that so long as Giinther lives ; 
All he has done, was done for me alone. 
And all his counsel — oh, I see it now, 
Too late, alas ! was faithful, good, and wise ! 
No gold is purer and no diamond brighter, 
No rock more steadfast than his loyalty — 
And all posterity would load my name 
With shame and contumely did I permit 
One hair of his to fall — My blood for him, 
My blood for his fidelity ! 

Volker. And mine 

For thee, thou noble monarch — and for thee, 
Thou faithful servant — not another word ; 
If th' Almighty will not send us aid, 
At least we'll die with glory and together. 

{Exeunt Guxther, Hagex, and Volker, into 

the tower. 

Ezel. — How! do they dare resist me ? do they scorn 
My generous proffers ? Warriors, after them 
And bring them back in chains — 

Blbdel. To me entrust 

The glorious task to lead them to thy feet, 
My royal brother ! 

Ezel. Shall I risk a life 

So dear and precious ? 

BlddeL Grant this boon, my lord, 



116 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Let Hawart share the glory ! 

JEzel. Be it so ! 

Attack the tower, but bring them here alive ! 

[Blodel, Hawart, and their followers 
rush into the tower. 

Riidiger. — How little do these fools know the 
Burgundians ! 

Dietrich. — Dearly they'll pay for their temerity. 
[Clashing of swords is heard in the tower, — 
the same, Chriemhilda enters. 

Chriem. — How many days and nights am I to wait 
Lonely and silent in the empty tent? (To Ezel) 
A gallant bridegroom thou ! to leave thy bride 
At midnight by the torches' dusky light — 
Upon the borders of thy camp to waste 
The tedious hours in vain impatience. Speak, 
Where is the bridal gift ? — why this delay ? 
Prove how thou lovest me ! 

Ezel. Why dost thou chide ? 

Do words like these beseem a bride? — for shame ! 
Patience becomes a woman, yet 'tis night ; 
Ere morning, thou shalt have the bridal gift. 
Thy brother hath refused atonement — 

Chriem. Ha ! 

He'll sacrifice his life to save his friend ? 
He will not give him up ? 

Dietrich. Those were his words ? 

His royal words ! my blood for him, my blood 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 117 

For his fidelity ! 

Chriem. Ay, and these words 

Have frighted you ! for here you tamely stand 
Waiting to know when it may please the king 
Of Burgundy to change his royal mind. 
Fie on you all ! take spindles in your hands 
And clasp a woman's girdle round your breasts 
To thrust the distaff in ! 

Ezel. How, hearest thou not 

The clash of weapons ? stand we idly here ? 
Or must I summon all my host to take 
These ten Burgundians captive ? 

[jEViferHAWART wounded, without helm or shield ; 
Volker appears an instant at the entrance, 
threatening him with his sword. 

Haw art. — Oh, help me, help — I'm wounded unto 
death. 
Blodel has fallen beneath king Giinther's sword — 
Support me, help me, lead me to my tent ! 

EzeL— Ha ! God of evil ! 

{To Hawart.) — What! my brother slain, 
And thou, oh shameless caitiff, darest to live ? 

[Haw art is led away. 
Thou, who wert far more precious in my sight 
Than all my subject empires — thou art gone ! 
But I'll avenge thy fate with fire and sword, 
And to thy memory build a monument, 
As earth and sea have never yet beheld ! 



118 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

(To his followers.) Bid Iring slay all the Bur- 
gundian knights, 
Let not a single man remain alive — 
You, Dietrich— Riidiger — storm yonder tower, 
Slay every living being within its walls : 
Blood is the tribute I demand to-day ! 

Chriem. — Go, go and slay ! but bring me here alive 
The king and Hagen, and the haughty queen. 
Ha ! ha ! my royal bridegroom, this is well ; 
Thou'rt fitted to be master of the world, 
Thou knowest how to deal with this abode 
Of treachery and murder ! 

Ezel Ay, the Gods 

Have given me the world, and I may deal 
E'en as it lists me with the boon. I'm calfd 
The people's scourge, and I will so fulfil 
The duty now, that for a thousand years 
No other shall be wanting ! [ Clashing of swords. 

, Hearest thou ? 

The clash and clang of arms? — on, gallant warriors ! 
Chriem. — 'Tis as it should be at Chriemhilda's 

wedding. 
[Brunhilda in a night robe —in the right hand 
a sword, in the left her son — rushes from the 
tower, defending herself against the Huns who 
follow her. 
Brim. — Hence, cowardly miscreants ! hence, dare 
not approach 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 119 

The lioness, or rob her of her young ! 

Ezel. — What? do you fear a woman ? shame— dis- 
arm her. 
[Brunhild a is disarmed, and the child torn from her. 

Brun, — My heart was faithful, but mine arm a 
traitor. 

Chriem. — How now! fair queen? has some unwel- 
come thought 
Disturb' d thy golden slumbers, that thou risest 
At this untimely hour ? Rememberest thou 
Once I lay weeping trembling at thy feet, 
Imploring mercy — vain were all my tears, 
Like the malicious hedgehog didst thou turn 
The prickles of thy malice to my prayers ; 
Now 'tis my turn — down, woman, on thy knees, 
Quick, prostrate in the dust, and beg thy life ! 

Brim.— But not from thee ? No, let the wolf de- 
vour me 
Which thou hast baited. — I should scorn my life 
If I receiv'd it as a boon from thee. 

Ezel. —She is a woman, so she shalt not die ; 
But for the boy, why throw him in the Rhine ! 

Chriem. — Give me the boy to tend upon my son, 
That he may set his foot upon bis neck 
When he shall mount his war-horse ! 

Ezel. In the waves ! 

Brun. {falling on her knees) — Oh, mercy, savage ! 
mercy ! 



120 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Ezel. Burgundy- 

Is mine, and he is call'd the kingdom's heir ! 

Chri. (laughing.) — Oh no, no! no! he's illegitimate, 
He is my husband's, not my brother's son ; 
Let her confess the child's a bastard ! spare 
His life on this condition ! 

Ezel. Is it true ? 

If so, the boy may live ! say, is it thus ? 

[Brunhild A starts from her knees, tears the boy 
from the soldier who is holding him, and raises 
him in her arms. 

Brim. — He is king Giinther's son — disgrace is 
worse 
Than death! — come hapless infant, we must die. 
[She rushes towards the left — several Huns follow 
her— voices from the background. 
She plunges in the Rhine ! 

Chriem. Farewell ! farewell ! 

Enter Dietrich and RuDiGERyhm the tower with 
their followers — in the middle Gunther and 
Hagen disarmed— their hands bound. 

Dietrich. — The battle's over, not a living being 
Remains within the walls of yonder tower ; 
And these, the last of the Burgundian heroes, 
Already faint with wounds, have we disarm'd, 
And lead them captive to thy royal feet — 
Confiding them, oh monarch, to thy mercy! 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 121 

Enter a Hun. 
Iring is slain by Dankwart, and our men 
Prest hard by the Burgundians. 

EzeL Riidiger 

And Dietrich, haste to crown the glorious work, 
Throw fire into their tents, and let the flames 
Fulfil their office, and consume the dead. 
Blood is the tribute I demand to day ! 

[Exeunt Rudiger and Dietrich. 

EzeL —Well, haughty monarch — art thou humbled 
now? 

Giin. — That Godof heaven and earth, a mightier king 
Than thou or I has judged between us : who 
Shall dare to murmur 'gainst his high decree ? 

EzeL — Thou hast shed my brother's blood, and 
forfeited 
Thy wealth and kingdom ; what hast thou to give 
As expiation of his precious life ? 

Gun. — Nay, do with me as hatred urges thee : 
But oh ! have mercy on my wife and child ! 

EzeL — They sleep already in the tranquil Rhine. 

Gun. — Alas ! alas ! and yet 'tis well for them ; 
They need no mercy now. Oh, sister ! sister ! 
Ten thousand times more bloody than the wolf, 
Which spares at least her kind. Oh ! thou didst seem 
So good, so mild ; hell slept within thy breast. 

Chriem. — It sleeps in every breast! 'twas you who 
woke 



122 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Its slumbering fires in mine. I did not seem. 
No, I was really gentle, kind and good. 
'Twas you who rooted from my bleeding heart 
Each kindly feeling, every virtuous thought. 
Yes ! you have left me nothing but revenge, 
Which cries aloud for food. 

Ezel. Lead him away ! 

Gun. {to Hag en.) — Farewell, my faithful servant ! 
I would fain 
Give thee my hand once more before I die — 
Thou see'st I cannot. [shewing him his bonds. 

Hag en. My beloved king, 

May God reward thee all thou hast done for me ! 

[GiixTHER is led off — in the back ground flames 
are seen rising stronger and fiercer every moment. 

Chriem. (to Hagen.) — Now, gallant hunter, faith- 
ful treasurer, 
Where is the treasure ? speak ! 

Hagen. I gave the king 

A solemn oath I never would disclose it. 

Chriem. — Remember, that a single word of mine 
Can doom thee death, if thou refuse to tell 
WTiere thou hast hid the treasure : say ! 

Hagen. The king, 

Thou knowest already, has my solemn oath. 

Chriem.— 1 can inflict a slow and cruel death, 
Can tear thee limb from limb, if thou refuse 
To give me up the treasure. 



THE NiEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 123 

Hag en. I have said, 

King Giinther has my oath. 

Ezel. {pointing to the right.) — It is dissolved ! 
Look up, and tell me, whose is yonder head ? 

Hag en {with horror).— Merciful heaven! the 
king's ! 

[Chriemhilda appears overwhelmed with horror. 

Hag. {kneeling towards the right.) — My royal lord! 
Sole object of my care by day and night, 
My pride in battle —my delight in peace — 
Life of my life— my only star of love — 
Thou ne'er again wilt shed thy gentle light 
Upon my gloomy path ! Thy course is run. 
Alas ! I could not save thee by my counsel ; 
Nor, as I ever hoped for, by my blood. 
But, my dear lord, we soon shall meet again ; 
And though a thousand lives were proffer' d me, 
Yet would I spurn them all, to follow thee ! 
For thou wilt be a noble king above, 
And I thy faithful servant there as here. 

Ezel. — Where is the treasure? death dissolves all 
vows. 

Hagen (rising.) — The king alone could free me 
from my oath, 
And he has ta'en it with him in the grave. 

Ezel. — Out of my sight ! lead him to instant death ! 
And you, my gallant soldiers, follow me ! 

[Exit, with his followers, as Hagen is led off. 



124 THE NIEBELUXGEN TREASURE. 

Chriem. {after a pause.) — Am I alone? how still 
is all around ! 
As silent as upon the barren rock, 
When the wild dragon slept ! oh, would to God 
This were the rock ! oh, would to God I sate, 
Still weeping, trembling, on the moss-grown stone ! 
In all my sorrow I was good and pure ; 
Now, I am venomous as the poisonous asp, 
Black as the night, and hopeless as despair. 
Steep' d to the brow in blood- — oh ! am I then 
Chriemhilda — oh ! am I still my mother's child, 
The lady Ulten's gentle, happy child ! 
How do I come to such a night as this, 
A bridal night of horror and revenge ! 
And yet it is, I feel it is, no dream ; 
Yes, Siegfried's widow, and the heathen's bride, 
There hangs the bridal gift, my brother's head, 
All stain'd with blood ! Ha! hearest thou, it speaks — 
It speaks — it speaks ! It is my mother's voice, 
He was her image. Hark ! she curses me, 
She curses me ; why do I shudder thus — 
Did I not know revenge must bring a curse ? 
Courage, my trembling soul — forget the past, 
Remember only what and where thou art, 
And did they deal more tenderly with me ? 
Yes, blood for bloody tears — that is but just, 
If, only 'twere not quite so horrible, 
So very horrible — I dare not think 



THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 125 

On any one I lov'd, for when I do 

I think on murder ! Courage, faltering heart, 

Thou'lt need it yet — this ruthless heathen king, 

Who lends his hand thus willingly to hell, 

? Tis with this kiss — [drawing a dagger. 

His bride will welcome him ! 
Yes, I am still my Siegfried's faithful wife, 
And that I will remain, despite of all. 
Yes ! I will give this heathen his reward, 
Then fly to Siegmund's court, and to my son — 
No, no, I have no son— am not a mother. 
A mother's heart is gentle, soft, and kind, 
Ancbfull of mercy, piety, and love ! 
No ! in this breast there dwells no mother's heart. 
Where shall I go ? oh ! whither shall I fly ? 

[Enter Ezel and his troops. 

Ezel. — The last are fallen— on to Worms ! 

Chriem. No! no! 

[She plunges the dagger in his breast. 
Down, down to hell. 

Ezel. (sinking) Vengeance ! 

Huns {rushing on Chriemhilda) Murderess ! 
Dietrich and Rudiger, and their followers enter. 

Diet. — Hold ! on your lives, barbarians ! down 
your arms ! [The Huns obey. 

Dead! dead! both dead.— Oh! fearful, fearful night ! 
Two royal houses, rich in wealth and power, 
Hast thou engulph'd in ruin and in death ! 



126 THE NIEBELUNGEN TREASURE. 

Oh! friends ! what will the day of judgment be, 
If it exceed the horrors of this night. 

[Morning dawns. 

Rild. — What an atonement this, for Siegfried's 
death ! 

Diet. — Not for the sake of one, however great, 
Has this destruction fallen. He who rules 
The destiny of nations has decided. 

Rild. — And has relieved us from a heavy yoke, 
And brighter days are opening to our view, 
E'en as the morning breaks through yonder clouds ! 

Diet. — Yes, yes ! the galling fetters which so long, 
Have held the earth enslav'd, at length are riven — 
The scourge of nations, and his people's dread, 
Has fallen beneath the avenging arm of God, 
The might of paganism is destroy' d ! 
Religion will resume her peaceful reign, 
And freedom shed her light upon the world ! 

[Giving his hand to Rudiger. 



Curtain falls. 



CJ. NORMAN, PRINTER, MAIDEN LANE, COVEN! GARDEN. 



